Singapore’s crackdown on fake reviews exposes business of buying ‘social proof’
Experts warn that review ecosystems are constantly evolving and consumers should be more discerning of what they read online
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Singapore’s biggest crackdown so far on fake online reviews has exposed how businesses exploit the appeal of five-star ratings to game the system, with experts warning generative AI will make fake reviews more rampant and consumers need to be more discerning of what they read online.
The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) has taken action against 45 companies – including a funeral parlour, law firm and an aesthetics clinic – after finding they bought reviews from a provider whose services included artificial intelligence-generated testimonials resembling real customer experiences.
The companies had to remove the reviews and post a public apology for six months as part of the first phase of investigations. About 100 companies were involved.
Alton Chua, associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, said online review ecosystems were constantly evolving.
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