This is digital extortion. They should agree to pay but do an FBI sting operation instead.

Is this really new? And is it even an Internet age thing? I saw that some small businesses in Texas are facing organized activism from conservative Islamic groups, who are threatening them with sustained protests if they don’t remove products that don’t fit their religious practice (like alcohol). The reality is that bullying and extortion and other forms of corrupt actions have always been around.

Maybe it’s easier now since someone on the other side of the planet can trivially post fake reviews and extort someone without any consequence since they’re in a different jurisdiction. But we should equally be suspicious of positive reviews. I have used contractors that had great online reviews only to be shocked at the poor quality of their work and the dishonest ways in which they handled my complaints.

My feeling - people need to shun their digital overlords like Google and rely on word of mouth again. At the same time, we need new laws to compel the largest tech platforms to do the right thing. They won’t if it is left to them.