Mozilla acquires fake review detection startup 'Fakespot'

SAN FRANCISCO: Mozilla, the developer of the Firefox Internet browser, has acquired Fakespot -- a startup that helps users identify fake or unreliable reviews via a website and a browser extension.

With Fakespot, the company said that Firefox users will have access to a trustworthy shopping tool that will help improve the e-commerce experience.

Mozilla also mentioned that it will introduce Fakespot functionality to Firefox over time.

"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," Mozilla said in a blogpost on Tuesday.

"There will also be future Fakespot integrations that are unique to Firefox. The addition of Fakespot's capabilities will make Firefox customers the best equipped to cut through deceptive reviews and shop with the confidence of knowing what they're buying is high-quality and authentic," it added.

Based in the US, Fakespot was founded in 2016 and relies on artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to detect patterns and similarities between reviews in order to flag them as fraudulent.

Fakespot assigns a rating or grade to product reviews in order to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.

The company's website and browser extension are designed to help users quickly identify where deceptive reviews may be artificially inflating a product's ranking in search engines.

In March, Mozilla introduced a new startup called Mozilla.ai, which the company hopes "will build a trustworthy and independent open-source AI ecosystem".

The company said that it is initially investing $30 million to build this new startup.