Google is strengthening its policy to combat fraudulent reviews on its Maps service. The company recently expanded its system of penalizing company profiles that use falsified or instigated reviews. This mechanism, initially launched in the United Kingdom, now appears to apply globally, although for the moment only British users see warnings displayed on suspicious pages.
Sanctions for dishonest companies
Businesses violating Google’s fake interactions policy can now face several types of restrictions. Among the measures put in place, Google mentions the temporary deletion of existing reviews, the blocking of new reviews and evaluations, as well as the display of a warning message on the profile concerned. The latter will notify users that fraudulent reviews have been deleted.
The firm emphasizes that contributions to Google Maps must reflect a real experience in a place or with a product. Any content that does not accurately represent an establishment or that has been motivated by financial incentives, discounts or benefits is strictly prohibited. Additionally, Google tracks attempts to manipulate ratings by posting reviews from multiple accounts or using technical tools such as emulators or modified operating systems.
Google has set up an appeal form to allow businesses to challenge restrictions placed on their profile. However, the search engine did not specify the duration of the sanctions, saying only that they would remain in force for a ” fixed period ».
Over the years, Google has strengthened the reliability of the platform and the reviews posted there. In 2021, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation against Google and Amazon, accusing them of not doing enough to tackle fraudulent reviews on their platforms. In response, the search engine began to apply these restrictive measures across the Channel, before extending them to other regions.
The penalization of companies is not limited to the simple deletion of the incriminated reviews. One of the harshest penalties is placing a label on the company’s profile, indicating that the company has been involved in fraudulent review practices. This label, unlike other temporary measures, does not have a defined duration and could therefore remain visible indefinitely.
« We take fraudulent or instigated reviews and reviews very seriously. “, Google said on its support site, explaining the need for these sanctions. Google Maps users rely on reviews and ratings to choose businesses and make purchases, which justifies the web giant’s vigilance in the face of these fraudulent practices.
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