Google Maps isn’t only a navigation app that directs you from A to B. It’s a discovery app that gives fast methods to search out locations of curiosity round you. Due to user-generated content material, which incorporates opinions and images, you may be taught all a couple of restaurant, landmark, or neighborhood earlier than you even get there.
All of which means malicious people will attempt to abuse Google Maps, together with the overview course of. We’ve proven you the assorted methods Google polices Google Maps user-generated content to forestall abuse and potential hurt to unsuspecting customers. The corporate makes use of each AI and human groups to protect Google Maps users.
Now, Google simply disclosed three different methods it prevents pretend opinions on Google Maps. One among them explains why you may’t overview locations like prisons on Google Maps. Or why review-bombing isn’t more likely to work.
Google stated in a weblog put up that it will get over 300 million Google Maps contributors every year. They share experiences about greater than 250 million locations. Moreover, Google Maps will get over 20 million opinions, images, and enterprise hour updates every day. That’s a whole lot of user-generated content material to maintain monitor of so you may get rid of the pretend entries.
The corporate says it’s prepared to reply rapidly to real-time abuse. When its programs detect suspicious exercise, Google can act. Like a bunch of individuals trying to review-bomb a spot of curiosity:
For instance, earlier this 12 months we noticed a sudden spike in 1-star opinions on an area bar in Missouri. To cease the abuse, we disabled the score operate quickly on the place SO that the bar’s score wouldn’t be additional affected. In the meantime, we additionally eliminated policy-violating opinions and investigated the accounts that left the opinions.
Moreover, Google is taking steps to forestall abuse forward of delicate moments. Google provided an instance associated to US elections. That’s when US polling stations are inclined to obtain “contributions unrelated to the precise expertise of visiting that location.”
In 2020, the corporate prevented Google Maps customers from suggesting edits to telephone numbers, addresses, and different factual details about voting websites to keep away from misinformation.
Lastly, Google has taken steps to forestall Google Maps abuse for locations like prisons. Google discovered “consumer contributions to be persistently unhelpful, dangerous, or off-topic” for “locations that folks go to with out alternative or locations solely accessible to individuals stationed or assigned there.” It’s not simply prisons; the identical factor applies to police stations and different comparable establishments.
Google says it has particular insurance policies for such locations in Google Maps. It’d restrict contributions or block user-generated content material utterly. Google Maps will even inform customers why they will’t overview a sure place, or make different contributions.
