Fake app-ranking factory uncovered in China
Staff Reporter
2015-02-05
A female worker reportedly gives out fake ratings to apps by physically going handset to handset. (Internet photo)
A photo recently uploaded online in China showing someone reportedly working on an array of mobile phones has gone viral overnight, as it gives a glimpse into China's app-ranking manipulation factory, reports Tencent Technology.
In the photo posted on to China's Weibo microblog, a woman with about a hundred iPhones placed before her appears to be giving out fake ratings to apps by going phone by phone.
About a hundred fake ratings, which have the potential to affect the top lists of Apple's App Store, can be created within an hour or two.
Apple has had adopted a number of measures to crackdown on fake downloads and cheating the rankings, including lowering the price of apps to only 1 yuan (US$0.16) which the company hopes could draw more real users to rate.
Yet given the fact that people in China are physically simulating real users, as seen in the leaked photo, it would be tough to crack down on the industry.
Numbers are important, as a majority of users refer to ratings when it comes to downloading apps. Those with better ratings have a much higher chance of being downloaded.
