Internet browser company Mozilla has made an intriguing acquisition by purchasing Fakespot, a startup whose browser extension is capable of detecting fraudulent product reviews.
The software company intends to incorporate Fakespot’s technology more deeply into Firefox through this acquisition and enable users to, “Cut through deceptive reviews [and] shop with the confidence of knowing what they’re buying is high-quality and authentic.
“Fakespot doesn’t do this by having an army of its own reviewers reviewing the reviews. It uses a sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) system to detect patterns and similarities between reviews in order to flag those that are most likely to be deceptive,” Mozilla wrote in a post.
Battling AI with AI
Although there is limited information on how Mozilla will incorporate Fakespot’s technology into its browser, there is cause for optimism about the outcome, particularly given that it is one of the most secure browsers available.
Mozilla also wrote that when users start utilising Fakespot AI capabilities, they’ll be able to quickly see where deceptive reviews may be artificially inflating a product’s ranking in search engines.
Also, Fakespot will not be exclusive to a particular browser or platform as the company has revealed that, “Fakespot will continue to work across all major web browsers and mobile devices, and the Mozilla team will be investing in continuing to enhance the Fakespot experience for its many, dedicated users.” However, “There will also be future Fakespot integrations that are unique to Firefox.”
Mozilla says it’ll be introducing Fakespot functionality to Firefox over time and will be open to getting user feedback once it is launched.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
