May 3, 2023

Mozilla has acquired Fakespot, a startup that helps consumers identify fake product reviews on e-commerce websites.

Fake reviews, whether generated by humans or machines, are a significant problem for both consumers and businesses. Fakespot grades reviews on sites such as Amazon, Walmart, and eBay using an A-to-F scale.

While Mozilla hasn’t disclosed how much it paid for Fakespot, it has revealed that the startup’s 13 employees will remain on board and that the team will expand over time. Mozilla also plans to continue supporting Fakespot’s web site and Chrome browser plug-in as it integrates the technology into its own Firefox browser.

Saoud Khalifah, the founder of Fakespot, stated that trustworthy reviews are crucial for maintaining a healthy e-commerce ecosystem. “You can’t touch the product,” he said. “You really need the reviews.” Meanwhile, Mozilla’s product chief, Steve Teixeira, believes that the purchase of Fakespot is part of the company’s mission to extend beyond promoting open web protocols. “The new frontier is around truth and deception,” he said. “How can we help regular, average people who are not technologists to make good decisions?”

The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.