New Algorithm That Could Help Fight Review Spam

[CodyBaird]

"Researchers from the University of Sao Paolo have created an algorithm which they claim demonstrates 95% effectiveness in identifying fake reviews intended to damage the reputation of new companies, and which are likely to have been originated by the companies? competitors."

https://thestack.com/security/2015/11/10/gabriel-gimenes-orfel-fake-reviews/

I rely on reviews daily when traveling and when discovering new things to do and visit around Austin.

I really hope Google, Yelp, Amazon, and all the other review sites are aggressive in their efforts to fight review spam.

Do you think this would work? More importantly, do you think Google and others will take a more aggressive approach in the future to maintain the integrity of reviews?

Google launched the Local Guides program and many of us see offers weekly to leave reviews. Yelp Elites have been in place for pushing a decade now.

Seems like the push for quantity is trumping the need for quality. What do you local search folks think?



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[Linda Buquet]

Thanks for sharing that Cody. I've been wanting to get more review posts going here.

I don't follow UK news, but at bottom of the post you linked to is a link to this:
<a href="https://thestack.com/world/2015/06/22/uk-government-authority-warns-companies-about-fake-online-product-reviews/">UK Government authority warns companies about fake online product reviews | The Stack</a>

"The UK government’s Competition and Markets Authority has published a report advising companies which use online product reviews as a marketing tool – and sites which provide such reviews to consumers – that deceptive practices could fall foul of industry regulations and put offenders at risk of unlimited fines, or even imprisonment."

Hope eventually businesses get the message that fake reviews are not the way to go!

 

[Margaret Ornsby]

Someone has been posting about a number of UK companies in serious hot water for fake reviews. (thought it was Mike but am not seeing it in his blog or G+ channel so I might have the source wrong).
Going from memory, it does seem the UK has decided to crack down on a whole lot of fraudulent activities, online reviews being one of them. They're the only country I'm aware of aggressively going after these, even though most countries will have laws saying not to do it.
Will cheer on anyone who makes it easier to get rid of this activity, whether the smarts comes from Brazil or the moon. A problem crying out for a solution.