CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Amazon has been mired in fake online review controversy for a while but it's fighting back by taking two other companies to cour to clean up the third-party marketplace.
Let's connect the dots.
Amazon filed suit against two companies that allegedly acted as fake review brokers.
Amazon said AppSally and Rebatest connected third-party sellers with customers who would leave a positive review of their product in exchange for free products or payments.
Those companies declined to comment.
The case represents Amazon's latest effort to root out fake reviews on its sprawling third-party marketplace, which accounts for more than half of e-commerce sales.
But fake reviews have proven to be a major issue for Amazon as the marketplace has grown to include millions of third-party merchants.
Amazon said it's taking steps to try and cut down on fake reviews and other fraud, including investments in machine-learning tools and human moderators.
It's also asked other social media companies to step in and assist. Fake-review communities have cropped up in Facebook groups and in messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp and WeChat.
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