Google Maps declares war on fake reviews: what changes

Google Maps is cracking down on business pages that use fake reviews by highlighting such activities to users. Businesses that violate Google’s “Fake Engagement” policy, such as purchasing reviews or posting misleading content, will be subject to restrictions. These include temporarily removing reviews, blocking new reviews or ratings, and displaying a warning message on profiles that have had fake reviews deleted. The restrictions were already introduced in the UK earlier this year, but a recent update to Google’s support page suggests they will be enforced globally soon. At the moment, however, only users in the UK see the alerts on company pages.

Google’s restricted and prohibited content policy states that contributions to Maps “should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business.” Company Pages are not allowed to display content that does not “accurately represent the location or product in question” or that has been incentivized by offering reviewers payments, discounts, or freebies. Google Maps will also monitor reviews that attempt to manipulate ratings by posting from multiple accounts or using emulators, modified operating systems, or other methods that “mimic genuine engagement.” It’s unclear how Google will precisely determine which reviews violate these rules, but the threat of being publicly pilloried may be enough to discourage some companies from trying to artificially inflate their ratings. The warning message can also help users avoid visiting places that Google deems untrustworthy, instead of seeing suspicious reviews disappear without explanation.