Apple: Dash developer had two accounts, 25 apps, and almost a thousand fraudulent reviews

Popular developer tool Dash has been removed from the App Store and its account has been terminated. Here's what Apple had to say.

Dash, a popular developer tool for offline documentation reading and code snippet handling, was recently removed from the App Store. Moreover, the developer account was terminated. In a statement to iMore, Apple explained:

"Almost 1,000 fraudulent reviews were detected across two accounts and 25 apps for this developer so we removed their apps and accounts from the App Store," an Apple spokesperson told iMore. "Warning was given in advance of the termination and attempts were made to resolve the issue with the developer but they were unsuccessful. We will terminate developer accounts for ratings and review fraud, including actions designed to hurt other developers. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, on behalf of all of our customers and developers."

My understanding is that the reviews included fraudulent positive reviews for their own apps and negative reviews for competing apps. That's something the App Store simply can't ignore.

Update: The other account/apps in questions can be seen on App Shopper and Software

Didn't the developer claim they'd never engaged in review fraud?

Yes, from the Kapeli blog:

Earlier today, Apple cancelled my developer account and has removed Dash from the App Store.

Update: Apple contacted me and told me they found evidence of App Store review manipulation. This is something I've never done.

Apple's decision is final and can't be appealed.

Could this be some one-off error or just some big mistake?

Apple clearly doesn't think so. In situations like this, the App Store team communicates with the developer both prior to any app being removed, and after any app has been removed.

That's following an in-depth investigation by the App Store fraud team, sometimes spanning months or even years. They look for patterns of suspicious activity over time and only act once they're convinced of wrong-doing

It's not something they take lightly, but something they believe is essential to maintaining the integrity of the system.

Is there really "no appeal"

Apple's not a court of law, so "no appeal" isn't really something that makes sense. There have been numerous cases where Apple has reassessed and reversed decisions in the past, and no doubt there will be again.

They're human beings behind the desks. Given that Apple "often" terminates the accounts and removes the apps of bad actors, and it seldom makes headlines, my guess is that their error rate is extremely low. Likewise, if this happens as often as it sounds like it does, the procedure probably allows for few false positives.

It also seems like developers are given every benefit of the doubt and, in these situations, often get clean slates or open new accounts, make sure they're squeaky-clean, and go on about their business.

Couldn't a bad actor frame another developer for review fraud?

This concept — that one bad developer could arrange for false reviews for a competing developer and get them banned from the App Store as a result — has been generating a lot of stress in the community.

My understanding is that the chances of that happening are virtually zero.

The iTunes fraud team follows these kinds of situations over time — weeks, months, and years — and iTunes is in contact with the developer before any action is taken. Even then, it sounds like every developer is given every benefit of every doubt, both before and after removal.

Why isn't Apple more transparent about the process?

My guess is that Apple was hoping to work this out with the developer and not have to resort to making a public statement.

As to the process itself, fraud detection doesn't work if the fraudsters know what you're trying to detect.

But Apple's sure they're right about this?

That's absolutely what it sounds like.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple's head of App Store, Phil Schiller, said just that in response to an email:

I am told this app was removed due to repeated fraudulent activity.

We often terminate developer accounts for ratings and review fraud, including actions designed to hurt other developers. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, on behalf of all of our customers and developers.

That kind of email doesn't get sent, to anybody, nor does the statement up top get issued, without everything being triple checked. At a minimum.

So, what's the takeaway here?

Absent information from Apple, and in the face of denials from the developer, the community couldn't understand what was happening or why.

Some might think Apple deserves the benefit of the doubt, but what Apple — and any platform owner — deserves is the benefit of scrutiny.

App Store has to be a place where developers feel protected, both from and by Apple.

In this case, many theories were proposed, including that the developer might have had multiple accounts. That's what seems to be the case.

Apple has put their cards on the table. Now it's the developer's turn. The community deserves the best from everyone.