• OVPR

    The Office of the Vice President for Research facilitates collaborative research opportunities, streamlines related policies and procedures, and acts as a unified voice for U of I research.

  • Innovations

    The University of Illinois leverages its technologies and intellectual properties to benefit society, support the growth and development of the Illinois and U.S. economies, and strengthen the University’s education and research programs.

  • UIUC OTM

    The Office of Technology Management at Urbana-Champaign is responsible for managing the intellectual property generated by research and educational activities at the University.

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    Supplies a fully-equipped infrastructure and access to University resources, internship programs, world-class talent, and custom-designed business development services.

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    Provides an ideal environment for starting a high-growth technology venture, with wet-chemistry labs, office space, an array of shared equipment, server co-location facilities, and conference rooms.

  • IllinoisVENTURES

    IllinoisVENTURES is a seed and early-stage technology investment firm focused on research-derived companies in information technologies, physical sciences and life sciences, with a particular emphasis on those deriving from research conducted at the University of Illinois and other regional research institutions and federal laboratories.

Office of Technology Management, Chicago

UIC Inventor Bing Liu Quoted in the New York Times about Bogus On-Line Product Reviews

On-Line Product Reviews Beginning to Draw Scrutiny

 

UIC Professor of Computer Science, Bing Liu, was recently quoted in the New York Times about the sometimes underhanded practices associated with on-line product reviews. A stellar on-line review can often propel a product's sales, but deciphering the legitamacy and source of such reviews is drawing interest from both consumers and regulators.

Dr. Liu, whose research interests and invention disclosures with the OTM are focused in the areas of data and web mining, sentiment analysis and opinion mining, is trying to devise mathematical models to systematically unmask and separate out bogus endorsements from genuine customer reviews. Dr. Liu was quoted as saying, “More people are depending on reviews for what to buy and where to go, so the incentives for faking are getting bigger.” He aptly noted that, “It’s a very cheap way of marketing.” Under Federal Trade Commission rules, when there is a connection between a merchant and someone promoting its product that affects the endorsement’s credibility, it must be fully disclosed.

Click here to read the NYT Article.

 

Published Friday, Jan 27

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