Honesty Gap Index
The Honesty Gap Index
Part of the Sylvania Disconnect Tool · Sylvania Lab
How many local business websites tell assistants something different from what they tell people? We check every month, town by town, across Chicagoland.
| Town | Trade | Sites checked | Same story to people and machines | Hidden words for machines | Tell assistants their fees and rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (first results appear after the first 100 sites are checked) | |||||
We never publish a business's name without its permission. A business that passes can show the mark Same story to people and machines, with the date it was checked.
Check your own site in 10 seconds:Website Mirror
Why it matters
Since July 2026, security researchers have found live websites hiding instructions that only assistants read, including fake payment steps. Most local sites are clean. But a clean site that never mentions its fees still leaves customers surprised, because an assistant can only repeat what the page says.
Last updated: Oct 2026