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Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

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Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#81

Why is everyone here just blaming Amazon? Of course they're going to ask Apple to do this. It's in their own self-interest. The more interesting questions is, why is Apple complying? Are they afraid that Amazon will retaliate by pulling their apps out of the App Store? If so, are they really just going to keep prioritizing big tech connections in favor of it's own customers? The rule cited is so vague that even a bas…

[deleted]

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used it for a while until it got me wondering - what, exactly, is their business model? And why do I trust their judgement on how reliable reviews are? This is not to say that Amazon reviews are generally good, just saying that Fakespot might have an incentive to... tune their reviews of reviews :) so where's the Fakespot of Fakespot?

Considering FS is free and they are hiring, they must have some sort of monetization roadmap. My bet is either they become paid, they do paid whitelisting, or they provide some sort of sales intelligence to sellers. The first option is the best case scenario. In the latter cases, akin to Facebook, the actual customer would be sellers, charged based on the number of active users FS promises. ReviewMeta, on the other h…

Monetization could be selling training data to big Amazon sellers on sentiment analysis of products. Or they just start whitelisting products, kinda like adblock does the "acceptable ads" we now have acceptable garbageproducts.

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#83
post #80

Fakespot is one of the more atrocious extensions when it comes to data collection. It sends everything you look at, everything you add to cart, while you are logged out of everything it will also persistently track your viewed items with a unique identifier. I understand that the below may be in PP/ToS but come on, a normal user will not. It does a lot of things completely opaque to the normal end user that are well…

Some support, since nobody seems to read the privacy policy[0] (or the Chrome privacy practices page![1]):

> When you use our Services, we automatically collect the following information about you:

> User ID: ... User ID also includes your account password, other credentials, security questions, and confirmation codes.

And a cherry on top, first-party ads:

> Purchase Information: Your purchase history or purchase tendencies which we may use to recommend better products and sellers.

0: https://www.fakespot.com/privacy-policy#:~:text=User%20ID%20...

1: https://i.judge.sh/other/Derpy/f0usrlNfij.png

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#84
post #80

Fakespot is one of the more atrocious extensions when it comes to data collection. It sends everything you look at, everything you add to cart, while you are logged out of everything it will also persistently track your viewed items with a unique identifier. I understand that the below may be in PP/ToS but come on, a normal user will not. It does a lot of things completely opaque to the normal end user that are well…

Some support, since nobody seems to read the privacy policy[0] (or the Chrome privacy practices page![1]): > When you use our Services, we automatically collect the following information about you: > User ID: ... User ID also includes your account password, other credentials, security questions, and confirmation codes. And a cherry on top, first-party ads: > Purchase Information: Your purchase history or purchase ten…

The full Chrome privacy page - this is absolutely nuts for a review comparator:

Fakespot Fake Amazon Reviews and eBay Sellers collects the following:

Personally identifiable information For example: name, address, email address, age, or identification number

Authentication information For example: passwords, credentials, security question, or personal identification number (PIN)

Location For example: region, IP address, GPS coordinates, or information about things near the user’s device

Web history The list of web pages a user has visited, as well as associated data such as page title and time of visit

User activity For example: network monitoring, clicks, mouse position, scroll, or keystroke logging

Website content For example: text, images, sounds, videos, or hyperlinks

In the year before the date this policy was issued, on the Services we may have collected the following categories of California Information:

Address and other identifiers -- such as name, postal address, zip code, email address, account name, payment card numbers, or other similar identifiers

Unique and online identifiers -- such as IP address, device IDs, or other similar identifiers

Characteristics of protected classifications -- such as race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation

Commercial information -- such as products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies

Internet, gaming or other electronic network activity information -- such as browsing history, search history and information regarding an individual's interaction with an internet website, application, or advertisement

Professional or educational Information

Biometric information

Location information -- (e.g. if you access our Sites on your mobile device we may collect Information about your device's precise location.)

Online viewing activities (e.g. pages viewed)

Inferences drawn from California Information, such as individual profiles, preferences, characteristics, behaviors.

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#85

That's kinda outrageous. I know this is unrelated to reviews, but I got a product shipped by and from Amazon 2 weeks ago that was missing its original box but instead was in an unmarked box that still had a shipping label addressed to Amazon returns on it. Amazon gives so few shits about product quality it's baffling

They give so few shits because we keep using them despite everything they do. The people need to put their money elsewhere for Amazon to get their act together.

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#86
post #80

Fakespot is one of the more atrocious extensions when it comes to data collection. It sends everything you look at, everything you add to cart, while you are logged out of everything it will also persistently track your viewed items with a unique identifier. I understand that the below may be in PP/ToS but come on, a normal user will not. It does a lot of things completely opaque to the normal end user that are well…

[deleted]

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#87

Why is everyone here just blaming Amazon? Of course they're going to ask Apple to do this. It's in their own self-interest. The more interesting questions is, why is Apple complying? Are they afraid that Amazon will retaliate by pulling their apps out of the App Store? If so, are they really just going to keep prioritizing big tech connections in favor of it's own customers? The rule cited is so vague that even a bas…

Bad Apple! Rotten From Inside.

[deleted]

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#88
My small business manufactures the product in the link below and sells it on Amazon. It has over 1000 reviews and on my honor I have never purchased or posted a fake review anywhere including Amazon.

Out of curiosity can one or two readers with the Fakespot App go to my product page and see what the App reports. Preferably two people, just to see if there is randomness to the result. This assumes you can still use an app that has been removed from the App store. Or is it automatically deleted from your phone ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MCV1QZF/

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#89
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some support, since nobody seems to read the privacy policy[0] (or the Chrome privacy practices page![1]): > When you use our Services, we automatically collect the following information about you: > User ID: ... User ID also includes your account password, other credentials, security questions, and confirmation codes. And a cherry on top, first-party ads: > Purchase Information: Your purchase history or purchase ten…

The full Chrome privacy page - this is absolutely nuts for a review comparator: Fakespot Fake Amazon Reviews and eBay Sellers collects the following: Personally identifiable information For example: name, address, email address, age, or identification number Authentication information For example: passwords, credentials, security question, or personal identification number (PIN) Location For example: region, IP addre…

The bonus shit cherry on top: they claim they require your address, GPS coordinates, passwords, browsing history, purchase history, and personal information under "GDPR Legitimate Interest" in the privacy policy.

They process no payments and have no fraud to speak of, because it's not a thing.

This company should not exist.

Re: Apple removes ‘Fakespot’ app from iOS App Store following Amazon request

#90

My small business manufactures the product in the link below and sells it on Amazon. It has over 1000 reviews and on my honor I have never purchased or posted a fake review anywhere including Amazon. Out of curiosity can one or two readers with the Fakespot App go to my product page and see what the App reports. Preferably two people, just to see if there is randomness to the result. This assumes you can still use an…

With the extension, you get an A on one and a ? on another.

I don't believe Fakespot's ratings are useful, though, because for other sites I've gotten for a negative-feedback seller "seller is RELIABLE and APPROVED BY FAKESPOT" when the API response consists entirely of "Seller has a return policy" and nothing else.

If you go on eBay for example, any seller that says "accepts returns" will automatically be flagged trustworthy.

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