News October 2013
Fake Reviews Come Under Fire. Opinion:
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced yesterday that his office has reached settlements with 19 online companies regarding their use of fake reviews on websites — levying $350,000 in fines — in a year-long undercover investigation known as “Operation Clean Turf.”

Among the targeted firms were search engine optimization (SEO) and online “reputation management” companies that often recruit foreign workers to post reviews raving about a specific company, individual, product or service, in hopes of burying legitimate, negative reviews on the same topic — the process known as “astroturfing” — after the perfect but artificial appearance of these shiny synthetic lawns.

Adult entertainment was also caught in the AG’s crusade, with Swam Media Group, Inc. and Scores Media Group, LLC, agreeing to cease posting fake reviews and to pay a fine.

 On the one hand I hate that so many fake reviews are posted.  On the other hand should New York be policing the internet & acting like they own it?

It is because of New York Andrew Cuomo taking money from Hollywood and other "our brand is god" assholes that Usenet Newgroups were removed as being part of the internet package ISP's offer their users.  The excuse was, (I don't even want those words on website) but of course the real reason was to curtail free speech and to help the multinationals against ma & pa businesses.

And what is the case by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman about.  He set up a fake small business, a yogurt shop, in Brooklyn and then went after the companies that offered to help this small, unknown, company.

So will what he did stop fake reviews online?  No.  It just means that those fake reviews will be the purview of the giant multinationals.

The bottom line of the case was about false advertising.  Well how much false advertising do you hear in politics?  How much false advertising do you hear on television and radio (and yes, sometimes they are rightfully prosecuted) but not often enough.

I am not defending fake reviews or false advertising but how this case was set up largely stinks. How the intent from day one was to hurt small business who may be having their reputations destroyed by other people writing fake reviews makes it even worse.  If you look beyond how the elite media paints this case, it is actually fairly sinister.












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