Russia / Ukraine - influx of negative reviews on Russian businesses - will Google prevent this?

What’s happening in Ukraine is abhorrent and I feel for everyone there as well as all of those globally that are opposed to what’s happening, Russians included. I keep seeing appeals for people to visit Russian businesses on Maps and leave negative reviews regarding the situation, I understand why people might want to do this but feel it’s not the right way to be heard and obviously goes against Google guidelines.

Are Google likely to pause the ability to add reviews or Maps content in general under the current circumstances and if not what measures are likely to deal with the clean-up afterwards and the removal of accounts that have effectively made false reviews at places they haven’t visited?

Have there been any examples of this happening previously? I know local news reports have often been enough to see businesses targeted and Google have been really ineffective in helping but maybe a blanket pause on content creation in some areas is needed right now?

It feels wrong to be typing this and suggesting people shouldn’t be allowed to vent their anger in any way they need to in these tragic circumstances but it just doesn’t sit well with me and we already have posts here asking the opposite of what I am. I feel bad for being the guy that isn’t supporting this fellow Local Guide but this isn’t the platform to win a war on.

Another example I saw just now on a forum…

Click on any hotel around there and you’ll find a mix of 5* and 1* reviews with anti-Russian messages, horrific images and posts about the war.

Has there been any kind of formal announcement from Google in the same way YouTube and other providers have said they are restricting content for now?

What are your thoughts on this? Leave it and clean-up later or try to handle it now before it spirals out of control?

@DeniGu I don’t know is best to tag to try and raise awareness of this and get input from Google, can you help please?

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Hi @turbotapeworm

I think Google is used to handling these situations, and I expect such reviews will soon be blocked or removed.

All the best

Morten

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I think you’re right @MortenCopenhagen I already see that a lot of the major places like The Kremlin, St Basil’s Cathedral etc have reviews turned off now but there’s still a huge influx of content being added to places like “Red Square” and small businesses across the region as the requests for people to do this gain traction.

Hopefully wider measures can be taken or at the very least some kind of automated clean-up afterwards.

Such a tragic situation all round, I’d hoped the world had moved on from all of this.

@turbotapeworm

I speculate that using the date of posting can effectively identify such reviews.

All the best

Morten

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@turbotapeworm

Do you really think that we should now quietly wait for the effect of the sanctions, when dozens of our citizens are killed every hour? And at this time in the Russian Federation hide the real information!

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Yes you are right.

Hi @turbotapeworm ,

We appreciate you sharing what you’ve found.

Out of an abundance of caution, we are removing user contributions like photos, videos, reviews and business information and all user-submitted places from Google Maps in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus since the invasion began, and are temporarily blocking new edits from being made.

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Thanks for the clarification @DeniGu - it’s a terrible situation and I have total sympathy with those trying to use whatever means available to them to try and let the Russian people (and others) know that some of the information being fed to them isn’t true but our platform just doesn’t seem like the right place for this.

@Odessa_Kos I’m genuinely sorry if this comes across as me being critical of what’s happening, it’s really not supposed to be and I completely sympathise with you and anyone around the world trying to do whatever they can in this terrible time, I’m just trying to view it from a Local Guide point of view. This might seem a bit cold and uncaring, I get that, I can assure you the plight of the Ukrainian people is very much on my mind. I wish you and your loved ones all the best and hope this comes to an end soon.

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Dear @Googlemaps @DeniGu , there are only two sides in this horrible invasion - bad and good - on which side your Company is? Please, Don’t close your eyes in this historical moment… Only PEOPLE can make a difference. Unblock reviews in Russia territory. This is not against Russian people, it’s against evil.

.

@turbotapeworm @MortenCopenhagen

Unusual situations require unusual action. Empathy over principles, always. No compromise. Great Russian People must know these facts.

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@7one

I have no say over this. I’m a local guide like you. Posting political statements on random businesses is not likely Google will allow in this situation as they already stated clearly.

I suggest you take down your photo of innocent and scared children for privacy reasons.

Morten

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@MortenCopenhagen

#Empathy - The ability to understand and share the feelings of another
Let’s have some…

“Posting political statements on random businesses is not likely Google will allow in this situation as they already stated clearly.”
Yes, of course, and they can change this. Like SWIFT, like everything. We all need to reevaluate everything - for this time. This is not about being “local guide” or “political correct” - this is about being human.

And yes - those children are scared and innocent, we both know why they are scared. Russian people don’t know about this.

Good night
B.

Не справедливо полностью отключать публикацию отзывов, вить так мы не получаем отклик от наших покупателей и не можем привлечь новых клиентов. Должны предприниматься меры по мягче, например блокировка по ключевым словам, пускай отзывы со своими войны автоматически отклоняются, а обычные отзывы наших клиентов публиковались как раньше.

@Amina3 the steps being taken are temporary, hopefully once the aggression, unnecessary killing and destruction ends these sanctions can be lifted on all affected regions. In the meantime Google are doing this to protect everyone from malicious content that would spiral out of control otherwise as people find ways around any attempts to just remove specific keywords etc.

I’m sorry if you can’t receive business reviews right now but put it into perspective, some people no longer have families, homes or businesses, let alone a 5* review to show off.