It's common practice for companies to send free products to reviewers in exchange for coverage. Sometimes these reviewers also receive additional compensation from the company. However, it should be noted that these products may come with a stringent set of "review guidelines" that prohibit specific negative criticism of the item. Notebookcheck occasionally receives these kinds of requests; a company may want us to review the device in accordance to a script or syllabus they provide in exchange for the product or other additional compensation. Should the review have an accompanying required outline, we turn down the offer in order to maintain reviewer integrity and to present the most unbiased information we possibly can.

This is not the first time reviews of this nature proliferated the Tech YouTuber community, but it is one of the most egregious. There is a growing trend toward video reviews that are paid for by the manufacturer of the reviewed device. Such a relationship could alter the impartiality of a reviewer and shine a glowing light on a mediocre or bad product. It is for this exact reason that certain YouTubers, such as Lon Seidman, clarify at the start of each review exactly how they came into possession of the device. We also disclose the source of our devices at the end of each review. If anything, the “Dysonpocalypse” of yesterday should act as a wakeup call for viewers of YouTube tech reviews to do additional research outside of their favorite tech personalities.



There are some things that readers and viewers can do to guard themselves against promotions masquerading as reviews. First, find out if the content in question is a legitimate review or if it was paid for by a specific sponsor. Next, do some research on the content creator. How did they obtain the product being reviewed and is this information disclosed? Finally, keep in mind that sponsored content is much more likely to have a slant or bias.

