There has been news that a number of SEO companies have been publishing fake online reviews. According to a settlement, 19 companies have been found writing these reviews, and have come to an agreement with them to not only stop writing these reviews, but could also pay over 0,000 in fines.
“Consumers rely on reviews from their peers to make daily purchasing decisions on anything from food and clothing to recreation and sightseeing,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “This investigation into large-scale, intentional deceit across the Internet tells us that we should approach online reviews with caution. And companies that continue to engage in these practices should take note: “Astroturfing” is the 21st century’s version of false advertising, and prosecutors have many tools at their disposal to put an end to it.”
Because of this crack down on fake reviews, it was found that consumer-review sites had installed filters that detected and deleted fake reviews.