Dear Local Guides community and Google team,
I’m writing to express my concern about Google’s moderation policies after my recent review was hidden by automated filters. I believe it was a fair and honest account of my personal experience, and I’d like to understand why it might have been flagged.
The review in question was about a local business where I witnessed an employee mistreating an animal (a dog walker kicking a dog). I clearly stated it was my firsthand observation, avoided direct accusations or threats, and simply shared my opinion to warn other pet owners. Moreover I have photo proofs of that, however did not post it to public and can share only to business owner if they request it for internal investigation. I’ve reviewed Google’s guidelines, including the Common Review Violations post, and I don’t see how my feedback violates them. It was not offensive, exaggerated, or baseless—just an honest warning based on what I saw.
As a long-time Google Maps user and Local Guide, I’ve contributed many reviews—both positive and negative—across different countries, always striving to be factual and fair. This situation makes me question the transparency of Google’s moderation: if genuine, non-violating reviews are hidden, how can users trust the overall reliability of reviews on the platform?
I’d appreciate any clarification on why my review was removed and whether this aligns with Google’s stated policies. I care deeply about maintaining trust in the review system and hope Google does, too.
Thank you for your time and attention.