FAQ - Revision history

MyWOT Team: /* Malicious rumors */

2017-01-30T14:28:46Z

‎Malicious rumors

Myxt: Undo revision 17653 by WOTRocks223 (talk) Undo inflammatory and redundant text

2016-05-12T23:20:48Z

Undo revision 17653 by WOTRocks223 (talk) Undo inflammatory and redundant text

Myxt: Undo revision 17657 by WOTRocks223 (talk) Undo inflammatory text

2016-05-12T23:19:37Z

Undo revision 17657 by WOTRocks223 (talk) Undo inflammatory text

Myxt: Undo revision 17661 by WOTRocks223 (talk)

2016-05-12T23:19:07Z

Undo revision 17661 by WOTRocks223 (talk)

Myxt: Undo revision 17665 by WOTRocks223 (talk)

2016-05-12T23:18:40Z

Undo revision 17665 by WOTRocks223 (talk)

Myxt: Undo revision 17669 by WOTRocks223 (talk) Undo inflammatory text

2016-05-12T23:16:17Z

Undo revision 17669 by WOTRocks223 (talk) Undo inflammatory text

WOTRocks223: /* Malicious rumors */

2016-05-10T01:54:15Z

‎Malicious rumors

WOTRocks223: /* WOT is a dictatorship */

2016-05-10T01:46:35Z

‎WOT is a dictatorship

WOTRocks223: /* WOT is run by children */

2016-05-10T01:45:28Z

‎WOT is run by children

WOTRocks223: /* WOT is a dictatorship */

2016-05-10T01:43:21Z

‎WOT is a dictatorship

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 It's unfortunate, but the more popular WOT becomes and the more successful it is at preventing people from falling for scams, the more people start attacking us. Often scammers whose business model WOT is hurting or other disgruntled website owners spread malicious rumors about the service in an attempt to discredit it and to discourage people from benefiting from the reputations. This section addresses some of the most common rumors.
-=== WOT is a scam, it's illegal, or it's run by criminals ===
+=== Is WOT a scam? Is it a legitimate service? ===
 People spreading this rumor, whether out of malice or ignorance, rarely even try to explain what kind of a scam WOT is purported to be. This is because WOT is perfectly legitimate, has been around for over half a decade, and has credible backers. The legality of the WOT service has been [http://www.mywot.com/press/safe-surfing-tool-web-of-trust-wins-in-court tested in court] and there's nothing illegal or criminal about the company or the service.
-WOT is operated by [http://www.mywot.com/aboutus WOT Services Oy], a Finnish company based in Helsinki. The company was started in 2006 and it's owned by a group of public and private investors, which include the Finnish Industry Investment (an investment company owner by the Finnish government), Open Ocean Capital (the investment company of MySQL founder Monty Widenius), [http://www.mywot.com/press/web-of-trust-closes-investment-round-from-inventure Inventure, and Risto Siilasmaa] (the founder and chairman of F-Secure). In 2010, the president of Finland [http://www.mywot.com/press/innofinland-prize-awarded-to-web-of-trust-community-of-over-16-million-web-users awarded WOT the national InnoFinland prize].
+WOT was founded in 2006, and has always operated in the public eye. WOT has been regularly featured or recommended by Mozilla, Google, Apple and Opera.
-=== The add-on is spyware or adware ===
+=== Is the add-on spyware or adware? ===
-Due to its concept, the WOT add-on needs to request reputations for each website you visit. It also needs to keep track of your ratings, which it does by creating a random, anonymous identifier for you automatically. It's obvious that this information could be used to track which sites you browse, which is probably why spreading rumors about WOT being [[Spyware|spyware]] is a favorite among those trying to discredit the service. WOT is not spyware or [[Adware|adware]] and does its best to respect your privacy:
+No. WOT is not spyware or adware and does its best to respect your privacy, as outlined in the [https://www.mywot.com/en/privacy/privacy_policy privacy policy]. To provide its basic function, analyze patterns, and proactively protect users, the WOT add-on must request the URL for each website you visit. It also needs to keep track of users’ site ratings, which it does by creating automatically generated identifiers. This collection of limited data is what leads to these unfortunate rumors. At WOT, we go to great lengths and invests substantial resources to anonymize data and avoid disclosing personal information, all as set forth in our [https://www.mywot.com/en/privacy/privacy_policy privacy policy].
-* '''Open add-ons.''' <div style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 10px">All WOT add-ons are open source, which means anyone can download [[Source code|the source code]] and verify what the add-on does. There are no secrets in the add-on, it only does what it says. The Firefox add-on is also thoroughly reviewed by Mozilla's editors every time it's submitted to the Add-ons website. So far, the add-on has been featured or recommended by Mozilla, Google, Apple, and Opera.</div>
+=== Does WOT sell reputations or blackmail site owners? ===
 After [http://www.mywot.com/trustseal the WOT trust seal] was introduced, every now and then rumors resurface claiming reputations can be bought, because WOT now sells something to site owners. That couldn't be further away from the truth. Only websites that have already earned a good reputation from user ratings are eligible for a trust seal, and should the website's reputation change to poor in future, they will lose the trust seal automatically. Sending WOT money does not affect a website's reputation, it's still determined from user ratings.
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 Update: Since October 2013, WOT trust seals and badges have been discontinued and it's no longer possible to buy them.
-=== People who rate a lot of websites are spammers ===
+=== Are WOT considering people who rate a lot of websites as spammers? ===
 Some of our most active users volunteer their time researching scams or security issues on the web. As a result, they may end up rating even hundreds of sites per day. Occasionally, we hear complaints that these people are spammers, bots, or even paid to rate websites for whatever nefarious purpose. Sometimes the argument goes that it's simply not possible for a person to rate that many sites, which means they must be doing something evil. Of course, none of that is true.
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 Note that unlike [[#Ratings vs. comments|normal ratings]], which are private, ratings left using the mass rating tool are more transparent, because the user is always forced to leave a comment explaining the rating. The comment also has a special icon on the top right corner that helps you distinguish it from normal comments. Despite these differences, it's important to note that ratings left using the mass rating tool are not considered [[#Ratings aren't equally reliable|any more reliable]] than normal ratings, and have no special meaning when the reputation is computed.
-=== Platinum level users decide reputations ===
+=== Platinum level users decide reputations? ===
 WOT assigns each user a level based on how active they have been. When someone starts using WOT, they are at the Rookie level. Once they have rated and commented enough websites, they finally reach the Platinum level. The user levels only tell you how active someone has been, they have no other meaning. Unfortunately, some people intentionally misinterpret user levels, and claim that nobody else's opinion matters anymore once a Platinum level user has left a comment for site. That's simply not true.
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 When a new user starts using WOT, their ratings have little weight at first, but if they continue rating sites, the ratings will be considered more reliable after a while. Platinum level users have no advantage over others in this; their rating reliability varies just like it does with others. Not all Platinum level users are considered equally reliable either. In fact, when it comes to rating reliability, most of the users the system considers highly reliable are in lower user levels, which means they do not rate as many sites.
-=== Facebook stopped using WOT ===
+=== Did Facebook stop using WOT? ===
 In May 2011, [http://www.mywot.com/press/facebook-protects-users-from-untrustworthy-websites-with-web-of-trust-reputation-ratings Facebook and WOT announced] that Facebook will start checking the WOT reputation of links posted to their service and will show an intermediate warning page when a user tries to follow a link to a poorly rated site. Recently, certain groups have started spreading rumors that Facebook has stopped using WOT in an attempt to discredit our service. This isn't true, and there have been no changes in our partnership with Facebook since the initial announcement regarding URL checking.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:20, 12 May 2016
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	In November 2012, Facebook also [http://www.mywot.com/press/web-of-trust-becomes-first-crowd-sourced-security-solution-invited-into-facebook-s-av-marketplace added the WOT add-on to their AV Marketplace]. “We have been proud partners with Web of Trust for the past year and a half, and are excited to announce a new stage of that partnership to keep our users and their data safe. Not only will Facebook users continue to benefit from WOT's reputation warnings when clicking potentially malicious links but also will be able to download their browser add-on for protection no matter where they are on the web” said Joe Sullivan, Chief Security Officer of Facebook.		In November 2012, Facebook also [http://www.mywot.com/press/web-of-trust-becomes-first-crowd-sourced-security-solution-invited-into-facebook-s-av-marketplace added the WOT add-on to their AV Marketplace]. “We have been proud partners with Web of Trust for the past year and a half, and are excited to announce a new stage of that partnership to keep our users and their data safe. Not only will Facebook users continue to benefit from WOT's reputation warnings when clicking potentially malicious links but also will be able to download their browser add-on for protection no matter where they are on the web” said Joe Sullivan, Chief Security Officer of Facebook.
−
−	~~=== WOT is run by children ===~~
−
−	~~There are people who believe that WOT is run by children. Such claim makes no sense whatsoever. Most children do not have the capability of developing something as complex as WOT.~~
−
−	~~=== WOT is a dictatorship ===~~
−
−	This claim also makes no sense. As said earlier, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:19, 12 May 2016
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	=== WOT is a dictatorship ===		=== WOT is a dictatorship ===

−	This claim also makes no sense. As said earlier, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm~~. Such people who believe that WOT is a dictatorship have no moral compass whatsoever~~.	+	This claim also makes no sense. As said earlier, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm.

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 === WOT is run by children ===
-There are people who believe that WOT is run by children.  Such claim makes no sense whatsoever.  After all, most children do not have the capability of developing something as complex as WOT.
+There are people who believe that WOT is run by children.  Such claim makes no sense whatsoever.  Most children do not have the capability of developing something as complex as WOT.
 === WOT is a dictatorship ===
 This claim also makes no sense.  As said earlier, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm.  Such people who believe that WOT is a dictatorship have no moral compass whatsoever.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:18, 12 May 2016
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	=== WOT is a dictatorship ===		=== WOT is a dictatorship ===

−	This claim also makes no sense. As said ~~before~~, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm. Such people who believe that WOT is a dictatorship have no moral compass whatsoever.	+	This claim also makes no sense. As said earlier, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm. Such people who believe that WOT is a dictatorship have no moral compass whatsoever.

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 After [http://www.mywot.com/trustseal the WOT trust seal] was introduced, every now and then rumors resurface claiming reputations can be bought, because WOT now sells something to site owners. That couldn't be further away from the truth. Only websites that have already earned a good reputation from user ratings are eligible for a trust seal, and should the website's reputation change to poor in future, they will lose the trust seal automatically. Sending WOT money does not affect a website's reputation, it's still determined from user ratings.
-Another more recent variation of this is a claim that WOT is engaged in extortion; sending website owners email saying they need to pay, usually thousands of dollars, to improve their reputation. If someone has received an email saying this, it was not from WOT. You cannot pay to improve your reputation. If you are a site owner and someone is blackmailing you, contact the police. You can also post the evidence to the WOT forum and we will help you catch those who are responsible.
+Another more recent variation of this is a claim that WOT is sending website owners email saying they need to pay, usually thousands of dollars, to improve their reputation. If someone has received an email saying this, it was not from WOT. You cannot pay to improve your reputation. If you are a site owner and someone is blackmailing you, contact the police. You can also post the evidence to the WOT forum and we will help you catch those who are responsible.
 Update: Since October 2013, WOT trust seals and badges have been discontinued and it's no longer possible to buy them.
@@ Line 101: / Line 101: @@
 In November 2012, Facebook also [http://www.mywot.com/press/web-of-trust-becomes-first-crowd-sourced-security-solution-invited-into-facebook-s-av-marketplace added the WOT add-on to their AV Marketplace]. “We have been proud partners with Web of Trust for the past year and a half, and are excited to announce a new stage of that partnership to keep our users and their data safe. Not only will Facebook users continue to benefit from WOT's reputation warnings when clicking potentially malicious links but also will be able to download their browser add-on for protection no matter where they are on the web” said Joe Sullivan, Chief Security Officer of Facebook.
 === WOT is run by children ===

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:46, 10 May 2016
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	=== WOT is a dictatorship ===		=== WOT is a dictatorship ===

−	This claim also makes no sense. As said ~~earlier~~, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm. Such people who believe that WOT is a dictatorship have no moral compass whatsoever.	+	This claim also makes no sense. As said before, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm. Such people who believe that WOT is a dictatorship have no moral compass whatsoever.

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:43, 10 May 2016
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	=== WOT is a dictatorship ===		=== WOT is a dictatorship ===

−	This claim also makes no sense. As said earlier, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm.	+	This claim also makes no sense. As said earlier, WOT is a meritocracy; the weight of user ratings vary depending on how reliable the rating system considers the user. This is completely different from user levels, and how active someone has been doesn't affect their rating reliability. Rating reliability is determined fully automatically based on analysis of the user's rating behavior. The only purpose for this is to make the system more resistant to manipulation and spamming. If someone tries to abuse the rating system, their ratings are accepted normally, but have such a low weight that they cannot do any harm. Such people who believe that WOT is a dictatorship have no moral compass whatsoever.