In 2016, Saoud Khalifah launched Fakespot to do exactly that: Spot fake online reviews. He developed an algorithm to test reviews for authenticity and rate products. Just copy a product link into Fakespot.com, and Khalifah’s company will tell you in moments if their reviews are accurate. Hayat spoke to Khalifah about his company and career:
How did Fakespot begin? Was there a particular moment that sparked the idea?
I ordered a couple products in 2014/2015 and many of them had hundreds of five-star reviews that made them look picture perfect on the surface. But when the products arrived, I was very disappointed with the quality, as they broke down within the first week. I realized by going back and re-reading all the reviews in depth that there were many red flags all over the place.
How does Fakespot determine if a review is likely to be authentic or fake?
Our proprietary engines leverage artificial intelligence and natural language processing technologies to understand reviews and the authenticity metrics behind them. We are able to detect numerous tactics that many review farms provide to sellers, such as using bots to write reviews or promotional reviews written by humans. Our machine learned models have been trained to distinguish these patterns and then reflect that in the analysis reports Fakespot.com provides.
Is there a particular type of review consumers should be especially wary of?
We have recently seen a particular rise in fake reviews in electronics and accessories on certain e-commerce platforms. However, in general all review platforms currently are flawed and have a problem with fake reviews.
How did your own interest in computer science and software engineering begin?
My programming journey began at the age of 12 when I started making games for my brother and myself. During my teen years I got very interested in security and reverse engineering of software programs and would spend countless nights and days breaking down programs to understand how they worked.
Outside of work, how do you like to spend your free time?
I play fingerstyle acoustic guitar, do music production and gym in between! I released numerous records during my college days. One song is “Nairobi” with artist name Mazani.
