Singapore’s crackdown on fake reviews exposes business of buying ‘social proof’

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...