With the press of a button, users can remotely post reviews of businesses or rate them with low star counts when they are embroiled in media controversies.

The Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia is the most recent victim of this behaviour, receiving 15,000 false reviews after the restaurant asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to leave the restaurant.

When these illegitimate postings take over, they have a real impact on businesses.

Meanwhile, the regulation of reviews falls on the shoulders of companies such as Yelp, which have been criticized for not doing enough to banish fake posts from their sites.

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