GOOGLE: Please make All Local Guide Ratings Public So we Can Uncover Spam/bot Networks & Report Them

[#1]

I know we are supposed to rely on Google's algorithm to identify "real" from "fake" reviews, but it reached a point today that I have to suggest we help Google police ourselves.  I just spent a few hours uncovering an entire list of 50+ "fake/bot" accounts that are crushing businesses with 4-star ratings this weekend.

I had to backchannel and guess at their motivations to uncover what I feel could be offered quickly by Google.  If we could quickly see a list of what each local guide has already rated, we could also find networks of users all posting at the exact same time on the exact same locations.

The idea is basic: Help us, help you (Google), so Local Guides doesn't die and Google Reviews still matter.

Here is an example of the missing ratings I'm talking about:

This "person/bot" made it to a level 8 Local Guide and Google has still not caught these types of spammers event though they are rating in a bulk network at locations all over the world:

[KlaudiyaG]

Hi @Kevinpike,

It's wonderful that you want to improve Google Maps. If you ever encouter a Local Guide that violates in your opinion our program rules, it's better to report him here on Connect. The best way you can do that is to tag a Google Moderator in your post and he or she will reach out to you by private message, the same way I did just now.

P.S.: I removed the picture from your post, as we do not encourage sharing private information or other Local Guides' Google Maps accounts in order to protect yours and other users' privacy and safety. Also, please note that I changed the status of your post to closed, as it isn't an actual idea.

[Kevinpike]

Just because you don't like it, doesn't make it "not an idea". LOL

Also, the picture I showed was a bot account, I'm pretty sure you can't put a fake person's life in danger. 

[JosephDewey]

@KlaudiyaG and @Kevinpike , I have to agree this this is certainly an idea. Here's how I'd state it:

Currently, Reviews are public and you can see them on people's public "Contributions" pages, but Ratings are not. It's true that you can find people's Ratings, if you go to the business listing, but you can't see these attached to people's public Contributions pages. So, my idea is to make Ratings a public part of people's pages, on this page: https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/105638042685917504645/reviews

There are lots of advantages to making these public, especially in discouraging spam, and with encouraging users to make honest ratings of businesses. @Kevinpike would use this information to research fake accounts and help keep the Local Guides user base clean, but there are a lot of other benefits to this, too.

[hsc]

I agree with other commenters.  This seems like a good idea.  I don't see the motivation for making ratings private while other contributions like reviews/pics are public.

"If you ever encouter a Local Guide that violates in your opinion our program rules, it's better to report him here on Connect. The best way you can do that is to tag a Google Moderator in your post and he or she will reach out to you by private message"

This is really not a solution to the spamming problem raised 😞