PUBLIC TRACES

A WORKED INVESTIGATION

What does repeated overlap look like?

Start with one reviewer’s history. Follow nearby five-star reviews of the same products. See which reviewers appear again.

Generated example · no real accounts

ONE RESULT, EXPLAINED

Reviewer demo-129
appears in 6 distinct egos.

The search opened 10 reviewer histories and reached 71 reviewers. This reviewer has a corroboration count of 6.

An ego is the local neighborhood around one opened reviewer: people giving five stars to the same products around the same time. Each distinct opened ego adds at most one count to a reviewer, even when several products overlap.

Where the count comes from

Here are 3 supporting egos. Each row shows one shared product and the two five-star review dates, within the selected ±14-day window.

Examples supporting the selected reviewer’s computed corroboration count
Opened reviewerShared productOpened reviewer’s datedemo-129’s dateCount added
demo-18P000042019-04-072019-04-03+1 ego
demo-89P000042019-03-272019-04-03+1 ego
demo-108P000042019-04-062019-04-03+1 ego

These rows are examples from the computed result. The complete ledger below includes the remaining supporting egos and product connections.

FROM A RESULT TO A CONTRIBUTION

What would you share?

An investigation records what was observed and where it came from. See a small excerpt from this same example and how future reviewed contributions would work.

View an example contribution →
Change the search settings 10 histories · cap 5 · ±14 days

The budget limits histories opened. The cap guides which reviewer is opened next; it does not cap the count reported for that reviewer. The time window defines nearby activity.

Inspect the full result Counts, supporting egos, product bursts, and search history
Reviews in the example610Full generated panel; the search opens selected histories.
Histories opened10
Complete product windows8seed egos
Highest corroboration6distinct seed egos

COLLECTION PROGRESS

Each history adds context.

71 reviewers reached
First historyLast opened history

CORROBORATION LEDGER

Inspect the reasons.

Up to 30 reviewers

A count records appearance across distinct opened neighborhoods. Expand a row to see supporting seeds, products, and weeks.

demo-1292 products6 egos

6 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 6 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 6

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-18P0000490
demo-89P0000490
demo-108P0000490
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-84P0000097
demo-1061 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-18P0000490
demo-89P0000490
demo-129P0000490
demo-108P0000490
demo-1151 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-84P0000097
demo-1161 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-84P0000097
demo-1261 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000090
demo-179P0000090
demo-160P0000090
demo-84P0000090
demo-1501 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-84P0000097
demo-1617 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-129P00000104
demo-179P0000097
demo-179P0002113
demo-179P00042104
demo-160P0000097
demo-160P00017153
demo-160P0002113
demo-160P0002355
demo-160P0002662
demo-160P0003362
demo-160P00042104
demo-84P0000097
demo-1624 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-179P0002120
demo-160P0000097
demo-160P00017146
demo-160P0002120
demo-160P00038160
demo-84P0000097
demo-1682 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-160P00017146
demo-84P0000097
demo-1693 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000090
demo-129P00000104
demo-179P0000090
demo-160P0000090
demo-160P0002113
demo-160P00038160
demo-84P0000090
demo-1744 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-179P0002113
demo-160P0000097
demo-160P00017139
demo-160P0002113
demo-160P0002662
demo-84P0000097
demo-1772 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-160P00038167
demo-84P0000097
demo-182 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-25P0002583
demo-89P0000490
demo-129P0000490
demo-108P0000490
demo-1812 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-160P00038174
demo-84P0000097
demo-1971 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-84P0000097
demo-1981 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-84P0000097
demo-2021 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000090
demo-179P0000090
demo-160P0000090
demo-84P0000090
demo-2152 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000090
demo-179P0000090
demo-160P0000090
demo-160P0002648
demo-84P0000090
demo-2183 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000090
demo-179P0000090
demo-179P00042111
demo-160P0000090
demo-160P0002655
demo-160P00042111
demo-84P0000090
demo-241 products4 egos

4 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 4 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 4

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000097
demo-179P0000097
demo-160P0000097
demo-84P0000097
demo-1081 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-18P0000490
demo-89P0000490
demo-129P0000490
demo-161 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-179P0000083
demo-160P0000083
demo-84P0000083
demo-1602 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000090
demo-179P0000090
demo-179P0002113
demo-84P0000090
demo-1792 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000083
demo-160P0000083
demo-160P0002127
demo-84P0000083
demo-821 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-179P0000083
demo-160P0000083
demo-84P0000083
demo-841 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P0000090
demo-179P0000090
demo-160P0000090
demo-891 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-18P0000483
demo-129P0000483
demo-108P0000483
demo-961 products3 egos

3 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 3 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 3

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P00000104
demo-160P00000104
demo-84P00000104
demo-1122 products2 egos

2 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 2 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 2

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-129P00004160
demo-84P0000041
demo-1636 products2 egos

2 distinct product-window-complete seed egos; 2 observed seed egos.

Observed count, including incomplete coverage: 2

Source seedProductWeek (day index)
demo-179P0002120
demo-179P0004297
demo-160P00017160
demo-160P0002120
demo-160P0002341
demo-160P0002662
demo-160P0003355

Complete means product windows covered for captured five-star seed reviews. Seed histories may be truncated. Counts are public-trace evidence, not fraud probabilities.

PRODUCT-TIME STRUCTURE

Observed product bursts

ProductReviewsReviewersWindow spanCorroboration mass
P00000161614 days59
P00000141414 days48
P00026141414 days31
P00021111114 days31
P00007151511 days25
P00033131314 days23
P000389913 days23
P0001710109 days22
P000045511 days20
P000427713 days19
P000277711 days17
P000238814 days16

Mass sums corroboration counts within an observed cluster. It is not a probability.

Search history

A history with no eligible ego can still be opened. 8 of the 10 opened histories produced eligible egos with complete product-window coverage in this generated example.

StepOpened historyNeighborsReviewers reached
1demo-1856
2demo-2516
3demo-8946
4demo-1293234
5demo-106034
6demo-108535
7demo-1793348
8demo-1605467
9demo-842971
10demo-202071

Each example was computed with the paper’s existing Python implementation on generated records, using fixed random seed 42. Choosing settings opens the matching precomputed result. No real accounts are included. Explore the completed Amazon 2023 findings →