Google Maps to flag businesses for possible fake reviews

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I have gradually become that annoying person who cannot visit a place or venue without first searching their reviews on Google Maps. But I also get cynical when the reviews are too positive — apparently, there is no satisfying me — so I was glad to learn that Google is making it easier to detect fakes. Google now displays the following message for relevant merchants, “Some known fake reviews were recently taken down from here.”

Twitter has had issues with one of Google’s properties before; the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the firm’s management of fake reviews last year. This user on X, what used to be Twitter, was the first to notice the change in handling reviews on a Maps page for a company in the UK (possibly a one-off).

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Google still has not officially confirmed the feature or where it is available. Still, Search Engine Roundtable found that Google recently revised the appropriate relevant support page indicating that it was to apply globally.

Restrictions that Google possibly presents to companies that violate the Fake Engagement policy are discussed. One of the ideas is that a warning will be shown on the business profile to inform the consumers that fake reviews have been removed. Other temporary limitations involve not being assigned new ratings/reviews, or having those assigned to them unpublished. If any of these actions happen, business owners will receive an email from Google and they can contest the action made.

Although such reviews can be generated by businesses looking forward to improve on their ratings they can equally be planted by people with intentions of bringing the ratings down. If a business reports these fake reviews, it’s not clear whether the same warning appears (as it does give the business a negative spin).

Source: Engadget