Fakespot
AcquiredNew York, US · Founded 2018 · Delaware corporation · 7 known investors
Find your way into Fakespot
Fakespot was a browser extension and mobile app that used AI to analyze the authenticity of online product reviews for consumers. Acquired by Mozilla in 2023 and integrated into Firefox as "Review Checker," the product was shut down on July 1, 2025.
Also known as Fakespot, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Fakespot was founded in 2018 by Saoud Khalifah.
Investors · 7
Also in the syndicate · 1
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$7.2M disclosed across 3 of 4 rounds · 2018–2020
▶$4MraisedNov 2020 · 12 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Saoud KhalifahExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Robert E. GrossExecutive Officer, Director
- Doc ParghiDirector
- Offering amount
- $4M
- Amount sold
- $4M
- First sale
- Nov 2020
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.7MraisedMay 2020 · 6 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Robert E. GrossExecutive Officer
- Jeremy PatutoDirector
- Saoud KhalifahExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Doc ParghiDirector
- Offering amount
- $1.7M
- Amount sold
- $1.7M
- First sale
- Oct 2019
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.5MraisedOct 2018 · 3 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Saoud KhalifahExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Sze Ming OoiExecutive Officer
- Sashi ReddiDirector
- Robert E. GrossExecutive Officer
- Jeremy PatutoDirector
- Offering amount
- $1.5M
- Amount sold
- $1.5M
- First sale
- Aug 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Fakespot was a New York City-based consumer technology company that applied artificial intelligence to detect fake or misleading product reviews on e-commerce and review platforms. Users pasted a product, hotel or listing URL into the website, or used the browser extension or mobile apps, and received an analysis of the underlying reviews within seconds. Results were expressed through a letter-grading system from A (highest) to F (lowest), with the grades describing the reliability of the reviews rather than the quality of the products themselves. Coverage extended across Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor, the Apple App Store, Best Buy, Sephora and Walmart, and later platforms including eBay and Shopify.
Beyond individual review analysis, the platform assessed seller reputation, examining transaction history and feedback patterns to flag unreliable or fraudulent merchants, and offered authentication services to businesses. A separate enterprise service, Sentinel, was introduced to help business clients identify counterfeit and fake-review concerns.
Fakespot was acquired by Mozilla, which integrated the technology into Firefox as the Review Checker feature. On 22 May 2025 Mozilla announced it would phase out Fakespot alongside Pocket, stating that although the idea resonated it did not fit a sustainable model. The Review Checker feature in Firefox was retired on 10 June 2025 and the Fakespot extensions, mobile apps and website ceased operating on 1 July 2025.
Founding story
Founder Saoud Khalifah, a Kuwaiti immigrant based in New York, bought a nutritional supplement on Amazon after reading a series of five-star reviews and received a low-quality product. That experience with misleading online reviews prompted him to build a site that used artificial intelligence to analyze large volumes of reviews and flag signals that reviews or reviewers might be biased or unreliable.
Business model
Fakespot provided its review-analysis service free to consumers via its website, Android and iOS apps and a Chrome extension, while offering paid authentication and counterfeit-detection solutions to businesses, including the Sentinel enterprise product. After the Mozilla acquisition the technology was distributed as a Firefox feature; Mozilla later concluded the product did not fit a sustainable model.
Consumer-facing analysis was offered free of charge, with monetization directed at business customers through authentication services and the Sentinel enterprise offering.
Traction
Forbes reported that 15 million people had used the free service since 2016 to analyze reviews on Amazon, Best Buy, Sephora, Walmart and Yelp.
Latest developments
Mozilla announced on 22 May 2025 that it would phase out Fakespot. The Firefox Review Checker feature was discontinued on 10 June 2025, and the Fakespot extensions, mobile apps and website stopped working on 1 July 2025.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Fakespot operated in review analytics for e-commerce, positioning itself as a consumer trust layer over marketplace reviews. Its methods drew public criticism from TripAdvisor, which said it had tested the analysis against reviews it knew to be genuine or fake and found the results unreliable and inaccurate.
The service combined review authenticity scoring with seller reputation assessment across multiple marketplaces, presenting results as a simple letter grade accessible from the browser or a mobile device rather than requiring manual review reading.
Technology
The platform used a proprietary AI system combining English-language pattern recognition, reviewer-profile analysis and correlation with other reviewer data. Machine learning techniques including profile clustering, sentiment analysis and cluster correlation were used to improve detection over time, with natural language processing applied to identify linguistic and behavioral patterns associated with inauthentic reviews. Outputs were condensed into an A-to-F grade for reviews and sellers. Mozilla described the acquired technology as AI and privacy-first tech.
Go-to-market
Distribution was through a free website tool, a Chrome browser extension, iOS and Android apps, and later integration into Firefox as the Review Checker feature; enterprise sales covered the Sentinel counterfeit and fake-review product.
Online shoppers evaluating products, hotels and apps on marketplaces and review sites, plus businesses and e-commerce platforms seeking counterfeit detection and review authentication.
Geography
Headquartered in New York City, United States, with a business address recorded at 110 Wall Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10005; the service targeted international e-commerce and review platforms.
History
Sources date the company's start to 2016, when the free review-analysis service launched. Key product milestones included a browser extension that surfaced review analysis directly while shopping and a mobile application extending the service to smartphones and tablets. Coverage of the platform expanded from Amazon to additional marketplaces and review sites, and an enterprise offering called Sentinel was added. Fakespot raised seed funding in 2018 and a Series A in 2020. In July 2021, following concerns raised by Amazon, Apple removed the Fakespot app from the iOS App Store. Mozilla acquired the company in May 2023 and shut the products down in mid-2025.
Risks & controversies
TripAdvisor publicly disputed Fakespot's fake-review findings, calling its techniques flawed and its results unreliable and inaccurate. In July 2021, after concerns raised by Amazon, Apple removed the Fakespot app from the iOS App Store. Mozilla ultimately discontinued the product, stating it did not fit a sustainable model.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsUsers could no longer use the Fakespot extensions, mobile apps or website as of this date.
The Fakespot-derived Review Checker feature within Firefox was retired.
Mozilla announced it would discontinue Fakespot alongside Pocket, saying the idea resonated but did not fit a sustainable model.
Mozilla acquired Fakespot to help people navigate unreliable product reviews using AI and privacy-first technology, later integrating it into Firefox as the Review Checker feature.
Following concerns from Amazon, Apple removed the Fakespot product review analyzer app from the App Store.
Fakespot introduced Sentinel, a service for enterprise clients to identify counterfeit concerns and fake reviews.
New York City-based Fakespot raised $1.3 million in seed funding with participation from Kuwait's Faith Capital; Forbes also lists SRI Capital as a backer of the $1.3 million raised.
$1.3M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Fakespotfakespot.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Fakespot do?
- Fakespot was an AI review-analysis service for online shoppers, acquired by Mozilla in 2023 and wound down in 2025.
- Who founded Fakespot?
- Fakespot was founded by Saoud Khalifah in 2018.
- Who are Fakespot's investors?
- Fakespot's investors include 500 Global, Beresford Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Graph Ventures, Faith Capital, SRI Capital.
- How much funding has Fakespot raised?
- Fakespot has disclosed $7.2M raised across 3 of its 4 known rounds.
- Where is Fakespot headquartered?
- Fakespot is headquartered in New York, US.