One Zero:

Many of the smaller, more “independent” online reviewers aren’t just trying to give you their honest opinions about the latest gadget or video game. They’re also increasingly acting as frontline salespeople for the very product they’re covering. They earn commissions from direct sales referrals thanks to affiliate links.

It’s a broken system.

When a critic posts an affiliate link for a product they’re reviewing, they’re now earning money directly from the sales of the thing you’re supposed to trust them to evaluate. That’s a big, obvious ethical issue.

I’m not as hardcore as the author but I also don’t do reviews as much as he does. There’s no doubt affiliate links blur or erase the lines of propriety. Sites like Wirecutter, which I like, are built almost solely on affiliate links. Other sites purport to show you the “Top 70 iPhone 11 Pro Max Cases!” but are just a way for the writer to squeeze in 70 Amazon affiliate links. It waters down your trust in the objectivity of the site when everything they post has Amazon affiliate links instead of links to the product on the manufacturer’s website.