A number of reports are confirming Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has fined
Samsung more than $340,000 for posting fake comments on its own products and criticizing competitor products via third-party marketing companies.
According to a story on The Verve, the FTC’s report claims Samsung paid people to “highlight the shortcomings of competing products” and discovered “nefarious activity” by Samsung commenters:
The list of infractions includes the “disinfection of negative news about Samsung products,” “palindromic Samsung product marketing,” and the positive evaluation of Samsung products.
In addition to Samsung’s fine, The Verve said two marketing firms involved in the incriminating activity were also fined more than $100,000.
The Verve says the FTC does not name the competing products defamed in the Samsung comments, but notes HTC was positioned as “the victim of a campaign of defamation” when the FTC began investigating Samsung earlier this year.
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