Apple has removed Fakespot, a popular app for detecting fake product reviews, from its App Store after Amazon complained that the app provided misleading information and could cause potential security risks.
Vickspot works by analyzing the reliability of Amazon's Rivews, assigning it a score from "A" to "F", then providing shoppers with recommendations on products that satisfy customers with a high degree of customer satisfaction.
Amazon said it notified Apple to investigate Vicksbot after it became increasingly concerned that a redesigned version of the app confused consumers by displaying Amazon's website in the app with a Vicksbot code.
Amazon said it does not allow apps to do this.
An Amazon spokesperson claimed that the app "provides customers with misleading information about sellers and their products, harms our sellers' business, and creates potential security risks".
And by Friday afternoon - after a review from Apple - the application was no longer available on the App Store.
Fake user reviews problem
Misleading or false user reviews have proven to be a huge problem for online retailers, including Amazon, and the company has recently stepped up its efforts to spot and take out fake reviews, making the field of third-party apps doing this work growing, and with the continued prevalence of fake reviews online, third-party apps and websites The third is to help shoppers discover them, such as Vickspot, ReviewMeta, and ReconBob.
Kuwaiti Founder and CEO Saud Khalifa (right) disputes Amazon's claim that the app poses security risks (social media)
Amazon complains to Apple
Apple said in a statement that on June 8, Amazon opened a dispute with the Vexpot application over intellectual property rights.
Apple said it had provided Vicksbot with steps to keep its app in the Store, and given it "meanwhile" to resolve the issue.
An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the nature of Vickspot's violations of App Store guidelines.
But Amazon has directed CNBC to two types of Apple App Store guidelines that Vickspot may have violated, and one of the principles for the Apple Store is that apps must make sure they are allowed to use or access a third-party service to monetize or otherwise monetize a third-party service. displayed, and the other stipulates that applications should not include false information and features.
Amazon also claims that FixBot's coding technology makes it possible for the app to collect and track information from customers.
In January, the company made similar allegations against PayPal-owned Honey, a browser extension that allows users to find coupons while shopping online, warning users that it could be a "security risk".
Vickspot: 'They showed no evidence'
Kuwaiti founder and CEO Saud Khalifa said in an interview with CNBC that he disagreed with Amazon's claim that the app poses a security risk, adding that even if Fixbot collects some user data, it does not sell it to a third party.
Khalifa indicated that many applications use the same programming technology, called "Wrapping", to embed the display of a web browser, such as coupon providers, and that many applications and websites also collect and track user information, including Amazon.
"We do not steal users' information, and we have not done so before," Khalifa said, adding, "They did not show any evidence of that, and Apple acted on this basis without any evidence."
He added that he was upset that Apple did not provide a proper warning to Fixbot that the app would be removed from the App Store, to give the opportunity to correct problems with it.
"Imagine you go to a tenant and say you have to take all your things, you have to leave now, that's how I feel now, to be completely honest with you."
It is noteworthy that the Vicksbot application is still available on the Google Play Store for Android devices.