The problem is that if you get hit with hivemind moderation in M1, then you're likely to see it rated as fair in M2. This is encouraged by the "Troll" and "Flamebait" options which can be slapped on any dissenting opinion.
They claim to have their own processes to count installs which would counter spoofing attacks. As well as being opaque to developers on how their installs are counted, this may be scooping up PII of users.
> The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. The artificial race has one really ineffective weapon, and that is imitation. - Mark Twain (paraphrased)
The linked "directly responsible" more or less meets my memory - MultiZilla first, Mozilla main later. The MultiZilla site of the time confirms it, the history links point to a 2001 start which would make 2002 in Mozilla itself reasonable.