Post by @madeindex@mastodon.social

🗺️ While visiting Pride #Berlin, I learned how utterly pointless #GoogleMaps Reviews in #Germany are.

⭐ Any place can simply report negative #reviews for defamation or claim the person was never there and have it removed.

Users can then appeal & risk a lawsuit.

When a review is removed the removed count on #Google Maps goes up (🖼️ 1)

1/2

#Reviews #Degoogle #Corporation #Internet #Review #Rating #Online #Maps #Feedback #stupid #company #technology #tech #german #legal #law #defamation

Screenshot of a business on Google Maps with "Over 250 reviews removed due to defamation complaints." in the past past 365 days.

#stupid #corporation #company #defamation #rating #reviews #feedback #german #review #googlemaps #online #degoogle #legal #maps #technology #internet #germany #google #berlin #tech #law

9 Replies

0 Boosts

make

@make@mastodontti.fi 7 days ago

@madeindex
One more reason to reduse usage of google… 😅

MadeInDex 📰🌎

@madeindex@mastodon.social 7 days ago

@make 💯 horrible corp!

MadeInDex 📰🌎

@madeindex@mastodon.social 7 days ago

2/2

However that count is reset after 365 days and also only goes to 250! (🖼️ 2)

Therefore companies can simply mass report negative reviews to improve their rating.

https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/16997273

#Degoogle #Corporation #Internet #Review #Rating #Online #Maps #Feedback #stupid #company #technology #tech #german #legal #law #defamation

Screenshot of the Google Table of: "Notice ranges and displayed text"

"Removal range | Displayed text"
"1 | One review removed due to a defamation complaint.
25 | Two to five reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
6-10 | Six to ten reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
1-20 | 1110.20 reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
21-50 | 211050 reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
51100 | 5110100 reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
101-150 | 101 to 150 reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
151-200 | 151 to 200 reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
201-250 | 201 to 250 reviews removed due to defamation complaints.
More than 250 | Over 250 reviews removed due to defamation complaints."

"More than 250" is encircled in red. — Screenshot of the Google Table of: "Notice ranges and displayed text" "Removal range | Displayed text" "1 | One review removed due to a defamation complaint. 25 | Two to five reviews removed due to defamation complaints. 6-10 | Six to ten reviews removed due to defamation complaints. 1-20 | 1110.20 reviews removed due to defamation complaints. 21-50 | 211050 reviews removed due to defamation complaints. 51100 | 5110100 reviews removed due to defamation complaints. 101-150 | 101 to 150 reviews removed due to defamation complaints. 151-200 | 151 to 200 reviews removed due to defamation complaints. 201-250 | 201 to 250 reviews removed due to defamation complaints. More than 250 | Over 250 reviews removed due to defamation complaints." "More than 250" is encircled in red.

Defamation Removal Notices in Germany - Maps User Generated Content Policy Help

About Defamation Removal Notices At Google Maps, we are committed to delivering trustworthy and reliable information. Reviews help people make informed decisions, so it's important that they accurate

MadeInDex 📰🌎

@madeindex@mastodon.social 7 days ago

So many vulnerable people are relying on Google Maps reviews & ratings to tell them where it is save to go.

Some places have only 1000-2000 reviews but >250 reviews removed in the past 365 days!

Like how bad must the situation there be?!

Absolute shame.

Ariel (🐿 arc)

@arichtman@eigenmagic.net 7 days ago

@madeindex I am adjusting to ignoring reviews on there now. Whatever has happened they're unreliable now

MadeInDex 📰🌎

@madeindex@mastodon.social 7 days ago

@arichtman Good thinking! Wonder where else one can safely trust reviews in 2026?

1 more reply

Cody Boone Ferguson

@xexyl@fosstodon.org 7 days ago

@madeindex I recall years ago something like this: the maps of Apple were so bad they said to use google maps.

I might be wrong here but I dimly recall that one of the places people were directed to was an airport but not the car park or anything.

Even so the only real benefit of the digital maps is that they are updated more. Well that and they if it tells you when to turn and so on but those can get really screwed up too! But reading a map is like cursive: mostly lost art.

Cody Boone Ferguson

@xexyl@fosstodon.org 7 days ago

@madeindex .. and that is a real shame. Especially that younger people don’t know how to read cursive (if they can read at all 😀).

I was never good at writing cursive but I can read it well enough. But that’s the thing - different handwriting and style and any errors or other things all make it harder to read whereas printed text is fine.

Except that some people create demented fonts that aren’t any better.

So: a regular font then.

~1 more replies

MadeInDex 📰🌎

@madeindex@mastodon.social 7 days ago

@xexyl 🤣 🤣🤣 harsh but fair haha

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