Fake Responses

'Talkback professionals' swamp Web Photo: Reuters

Internet trend: Talkbacks for sale
Politicians, companies hire 'professional respondents' to boost their image online
By Dudi Goldman

Almost all Internet users are familiar with talkbacks, the list of reader responses appearing at the bottom of an article that allows surfers to offer their views on the item they just read.

Some readers praise the feature, while others are not so impressed, yet as it turns out, not all responses are as innocent as they initially appear. Indeed, some talkbacks are written by "professional respondents" hired to that end by companies and politicians.

[...] Ynet, just like other large Israeli websites, is already developing technological means that would combat such talkbacks. The tools are designed to recognize the computer where the talkback was sent from in a bid to identify whether it was sent by a legitimate reader or by a company or political body.

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