Hey Team,
@MortenCopenhagen @ErmesT tagging you fine folk in this one to review my account if you have that ability? https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/106325509606942188693 I’ve done my best to follow the protocol of submitting the form for review and resolve without luck. This was a month or so ago now, it appeared that my reviews once posted are immediately hidden without appeal option or email.
My photos are still collecting views however it would great if someone could take a closer look and see if something needs to be adjusted on the back end. I have 607 reviews and 481 published.
From reading all the forum comments on these threads I know I’m not alone on this so hopefully this benefits other local guides as well.
All the best,
Matt
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Hi @MatthewAitken
I’m on vacation so I have not had time to dig deep, but you should check the rules related to redundant / similar photos.
Cheers
Morten
2 Likes
Hello @MatthewAitken ,
Indeed this is very disappointing when our reviews and/or photos get automatically hidden. There is no information given about the hidden contribution. We do not get any email or any notification unlike Google sends in case of any specific achievement. It is sad to note that your 123 reviews are hidden out of total 607 reviews you have submitted. Believe me you are not alone here, many of us have faced the similar phase.
Having said that I am assuming that most of our respectful LGs have already gone through the rules and policies related to High Quality Reviews & Photos and Prohibited and restricted content. If not, please visit/re-visit. So, once we validate our reviews contents as per these policies and find them suitable for acceptance/approval to be made as public, we must fill out Account Investigation Form for the account investigation.
As you have mentioned in your post that you have already filled this form, I request you to wait for some more time for Google to take action as they have huge number of requests piled up due to this reason.
I am confident that after investigation, the eligible reviews of yours will get public. And, again you will not get any confirmation notification or email from Google about this. You just need to wait and watch.
I have got my 189 hidden reviews approved in one go TWO month after submitting Account Investigation Form.
Hence, request you to wait and watch. Something good is coming on your way.
Keep building informed community stronger 
together.
JAI HO!!!
4 Likes
Appreciate you taking a second to review during your vacation @MortenCopenhagen , enjoy the rest of it! Yes, I’ll be reading all the new rules/policies for sure. However, in my case I believe it’s not the issue with my new reviews after the AI filtering integration. Case in point I’ve left reviews with no photos attached and it’s immediately invisible, so may be something against my account, see what the form reviews come up with.
Thanks very much @Kumaarsantosh for the detailed insight. As mentioned, I’ll definitely be reviewing tips and content policies more closely since this new filtering policy has been applied. Prior to this change I’ve never had an issue with publishing content so something in the AI tech doesn’t like me! ha ha.
I have a feeling the AI filter is scanning everyone’s content across the whole of maps and this will take some time before the system stabilizes and accounts are un-shadow banned going forward. I’ll definitely keep a track of the dates/timelines of when I submitted the form and wait patiently. Appreciate your response!
Cheers,
Matt
1 Like
Thank you for tagging me, @MatthewAitken , and sorry for the late reply.
Google changed the moderation system due to a global issues with reviews, with a possible legal implication. I’ve tried to clarify it in: Your review has not been published. Do you know why? .
The post will not redice our frustration, but is trying to explain that many times the reason of an hidden review is not due to our mistake. However the violations of the rules as explained by @Kumaarsantosh still be a good reason for flagging a review as private.
Regarding photos, I fully agree with @MortenCopenhagen . There is a huge redundancy in your photos, and this is a violation of the Community policy :
- “Take photos that clearly and accurately represent a location …**”
- “Dark, blurry, and redundant photos will be removed. Users who duplicate photos across locations, … will also be removed.”
Redundant photos do not provide any additional information about the place and are considered just a trick to get more points. Considering that, after filling a form, the check of the profile is performed in about two months, you still have time for a bit of cleaning. It would be quite disappointing to ask for a check of the review and to have an issue with another kind of contributions
2 Likes
Hey @ErmesT appreciate you taking the time to review and provide your insights. I have a starting point to improve my account status and have the form do it’s work correctly now. I understand why Google HQ have made these changes as we try to moderate the general public’s content as best as we can. I’ll have a good read through the policies and do a tidy up on my images.
Thanks again @Kumaarsantosh and @MortenCopenhagen , have a good week. 
2 Likes
Pleasure exchanging words with you @MatthewAitken .
WISH YOU GOOD LUCK.
Keep building informed community stronger together.
JAI HO!!!
Greetings Gents,
I wanted to take a moment and provide an update on my situation. It appears that the Google moderation team eventually got to my account and ended up re-publishing 95% of my reviews before I even had a chance to correct the content myself.
Granted a lot of the photos have been hidden however this has saved me a lot of admin. Send my regards to the team, happy to be back posting again!
Cheers