Recommendation

Proceed

Overall Summary

Safe

Why we think so

SmartNews is a well-established news aggregation platform based in Japan. It draws monthly traffic around 2.3 million visits, mostly from Japan and the U.S., and serves as a free news app sourcing from over 3,000 media outlets. The website employs reputable infrastructure providers like Amazon and Akamai, includes solid SSL certification by Amazon RSA 2048, and uses standard domain security with GoDaddy.com as registrar. The company displays transparency with multiple contact emails including security and support, and maintains active social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Trademark checks reveal several SMARTNEWS marks, though some registrations are inactive or historic, indicating no current trademark conflicts. No presence on crypto scam blacklists or Google Safe Browsing warnings were found. Google Places lists a legitimate office location in San Francisco with high user ratings. News coverage notes SmartNews' substantial funding rounds and $1.1 billion valuation. However, user feedback reveals mixed app reviews highlighting technical glitches and intrusive ads, though the service is not considered a scam. There is one ongoing copyright lawsuit involving SmartNews. Overall, the domain and company appear authentic with some operational and user experience concerns.

Confidence Score

83%

Risk Insights

🛡️

Strong Technical Foundation

Uses top-tier hosting and CDN providers like Amazon and Akamai

SSL certificate valid through June 2026

Multiple DNS and MX records correctly configured

✅

Active Contact Transparency

Numerous verified contact emails including security and support

Active social media presence on major platforms

Physical office location with 5-star Google reviews

⚠️

User Experience Concerns

Mixed user reviews about app ads and technical glitches

No scam or phishing signs but repeated complaints on performance

Ongoing copyright lawsuit, common in media sector

Contradictory Signals

Technical and user experience issues do not correlate with any indications of fraud or scam.

Signal A: Strong domain security and business transparency

Signal B: User complaints about excessive ads and technical problems

Category Scores

Identity 90/100

Reputation 75/100

Technical 90/100

Content 80/100

Legal 75/100

Business Validity 85/100

Red Flags & Warnings

App receives mixed user reviews citing intrusive ads and technical glitches.
Ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit filed in 2023.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Domain technical infrastructure

Score: 90/100

Passed

"Employs Amazon, Akamai, Cloudflare servers; SSL valid till mid-2026 issued by Amazon; DNS and MX records properly configured."

Reason: Uses reputable and modern hosting and content delivery services with valid SSL.

Traffic and engagement

Score: 80/100

Passed

"Traffic data from SimilarWeb and SimilarTech showing stable audience with multiple traffic sources (direct, search, social)."

Reason: Monthly visits ~2.3M, mostly from Japan and US; average bounce rate is moderate under 75%.

Contact transparency

Score: 85/100

Passed

"Includes press@, info@, security@ and support@ emails; active social media links confirmed."

Reason: Multiple verified contact emails and phone numbers listed on official sources.

Legal and trademark status

Score: 75/100

Passed

"USPTO search shows dead and live SMARTNEWS trademarks owned by various corporations; no current reported infringement."

Reason: No active trademark conflicts; some historic and expired USPTO marks found.

Blacklist and phishing status

Score: 90/100

Passed

"Domain clean on crypto scam sniffer and Google Safe Browsing data."

Reason: No listing found on crypto scam or Google Safe Browsing blacklists.

Presence in Google Places

Score: 85/100

Passed

"Office in San Francisco rated 5 stars by 13 reviewers."

Reason: Physical office location with solid positive user ratings.

News presence and reputation

Score: 80/100

Passed

"Reported $1.1 billion valuation and recent funding rounds."

Reason: Widely covered and positively described in reputable news outlets.

User feedback and scam indicators

Score: 50/100

Passed

"Complaints about ads, loading, content incomplete; no scam reports or phishing found."

Reason: App reviews cite usability issues but no evidence of fraud or scam.

Legal disputes

Score: 70/100

Passed

"Ongoing lawsuit filed in 2023 with no current impact on site authenticity."

Reason: One pending copyright lawsuit, typical for media businesses.

Your Next Steps

1

Review detailed user feedback if considering app usage to understand technical and ad-related issues.
2

Monitor any updates on the copyright infringement lawsuit if concerned about legal risks.
3

Verify contact details directly on official site if planning business engagement.

Evidence & Citations

SmartNews Technology & Traffic Stats
Shows domain traffic, technology platforms and infrastructure used.
SmartNews WHOIS and SSL Data
Domain registrar, SSL validity, DNS records and domain age.
SmartNews Trademark Search at USPTO
Multiple SMARTNEWS registrations, some live, some historic.
SmartNews Google Places Listing
Physical location with high user rating.
News Articles on SmartNews
Recent news highlights company growth and valuations.
SmartNews User Reviews and Complaints
Summary of app user feedback mentioning ads and technical issues.
SmartNews Lawsuit Emmerich Newspapers v. SmartNews
Details of ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit.

🕵🏻 Keep investigating

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