Samsung Fined $340,000 By FTC For Fake Comments On The Web; Fine Should Be $340 Million Hot
When a huge company like Samsung does something so unethical and dishonest, it should pay heavily and criminal charges should be pursued. Otherwise the governmenr isn't helping keep the Internet honest.
Crowdsourcing, user reviews, and comments is the new fourth estate and it's every bit as important as freedom of the press. Perverting thgat freedom by using such underhanded tactics is something that should not be tolerated by the go9vernment and Samsung's violation should have been used as an opportunity to tell companies and consumers that fakery of this kind harms the public interest and won't be tolerated by the government.
For financial advisors, the lesson also should be clear. Don't even think about writing fake nagative reviews about your competitors or positive reviews for yourself because the consequences of getting caught are so serious that they're not worth the risk. Instead, the slap on the wrist suggests it's no big deal.