The relationship between these companies is complex and interconnected. For example, third-party sales on Amazon have grown from $0.1 billion to $160 billion over the last 20 years, partially fueled by Marketplace sellers who resell products purchased from Alibaba (or its subsidiary, AliExpress).

That's not to suggest that these technology giants are colluding. In fact, Amazon, Alibaba and Google have a common interest that stokes a common rivalry: to sell advertisements.

Unfortunately, the road to hell is lined with electronic billboards.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" - Upton Sinclair

The rise of fake reviews echoes the rise of subprime mortgages: When the reward of being dishonest is (seemingly) greater than the risk, no person or company is accountable: The entire system is at fault.

Zachary Crockett's exposé into how some Amazon sellers manipulate product ratings (by offering bribes in exchange for 5-star reviews) shined a light on a vast underground economy. Each participant's role in these schemes may be insignificant, yet each of these participant's incentives compounds into something bigger:

Shoppers have an incentive to get free products;

Sellers have an incentive to get good reviews;

Competitors have an incentive to level the playing field, either by employing the same tactics, or by some other unscrupulous means (e.g. bribing Amazon employees to delete reviews);

Brands have an incentive to position their products above this noise and confusion; and

Marketplaces have an incentive to offer brands the visibility they demand.

The more spam, noise and organic competition there is, the more ads are sold. As a result, the rise of fake reviews (and news) on platforms like Amazon, Google and Facebook may strengthen these companies more than it hurts them, at least for a while.

Don't Count on the Government to Solve Things

Less than a year ago, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission "announced its first case challenging a marketer’s use of fake paid reviews on an independent retail website." Yes, its first case.

But, tempting as it is to criticize regulators for turning a blind eye, they face an impossible task.