[tomek@vz]

The tech review world has been full of murky deals between companies and influencers for years, but it appears Google finally crossed a line with the Pixel 9. The company’s invite-only Team Pixel program — which seeds Pixel products to influencers before public availability — stipulated that participating influencers were not allowed to feature Pixel products alongside competitors, and those who showed a preference for competing phones risked being kicked out of the program. For those hoping to break into the world of tech reviews, the new terms meant having to choose between keeping access or keeping their integrity.
↫ Victoria Song at The Verge

Even though this ended up being organised and run by a third party, and Google addressed it immediately, it doesn’t surprise me at all that stuff like this happens. Anyone who has spent any time on tech YouTube, popular tech news sites, and content farms knows full well just how… Odd a lot of reviews and videos often feel. This is because a lot of review programs subtly – or not so subtly – imply that if you’re not positive enough, you’re going to be kicked out and won’t get the next batch of cool products to review, thereby harming your channel or website.

https://www.osnews.com/story/140522/...red-the-pixel/