I accidentally glanced at the biography of a Local Guide who left his personal phone number. I wonder if this action violates the platform’s rules?
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This person appears to be a spammer, possibly engaged in review buying and selling, which is a serious violation of Google Maps policies. Such practices are completely illegal and harm the integrity of genuine reviews. Google Maps is meant to provide authentic, unbiased information to help users make informed decisions. Engaging in fake reviews can lead to account suspension or removal of contributions. It’s essential to maintain the platform’s credibility by reporting suspicious activity.
5 Likes
Hi @VietNguyen2024
Sharing your phone number in your bio is not necessarily a violation of the policies, as it’s not mentioned here View & edit your Google Maps profile - Android - Google Maps Help
It’s more a matter of privacy, that’s why Google Maps is informing us that “Your name, photo, and bio will always be found on your profile.”
So I wonder where this information is coming from, @ShifaAymal ?
However, what @MehediHasanTanvir said is correct, because this person is inviting others to contact him for writing reviews, and this is prohibited.
You should report this person using the report function in Google Maps by following the steps explained here: You can now report entire profiles for abuse on Google Maps
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Hi @ErmesT
I think my choice of words is wrong i wanted to say that it’s not advisable and a right thing to do. My bad, should i delete the comment?
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No, @ShifaAymal , don’t worry about that.
What you said is perfect for Connect, where we’re invited not to share personal data.
And in Maps it is prohibited to share that kind of information in our reviews. Regarding the profile in Maps, we are just invited to be careful, because the our bio is publicly visible.
I had a long discussion years ago with a Local Guide who was complaining about receiving a lot of calls from unwanted people, just because he shared his phone number publicly, and I think we should mind more about our privacy.
It seems a lot of people don’t care about that till it’s too late
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Yes, @ErmesT ,I’m aware of this and was referring to this as well.
You’re right, Although google hasn’t prohibited it, I personally think sharing personal data publicly is not right and can land people in trouble. So, i don’t encourage it.
1 Like