AriMar's post
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Why was I removed from the Local Guides program?

Google Editor

 

Caption: A graphic that shows red apples next to one with a green worm in it.Caption: A graphic that shows red apples next to one with a green worm in it.

Local Guides share photos, reviews, and info that helps millions of people around the world. To make sure that others can find what they’re looking for on Google Maps, we often check that contributions are helpful, accurate, and appropriate.

 

When we notice a Local Guide who seems to have violated our policies, we remove that person from the program. If you don’t see a Local Guides badge on your profile and can’t log in to post here on Connect, that’s likely what happened.

 

Think you’ve been removed? You might have violated one of these policies:

  • Google Maps policies on reviews, photos, and videos. For example, by posting duplicate reviews or photos, contributing offensive content, or uploading spam.
  • Google Maps mapping guidelines. For example, by adding fake locations to the map, changing the name of a business to an incorrect one, or adding unnecessary keywords in any field.

The vast majority of Local Guides contributions are within the rules. If you're unsure whether or not something is allowed, be sure to check beforehand. However, you should be aware that any account can be banned for violating any of these policies, whether the Local Guide was aware of the policy or not. Also, our policies change from time to time, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with the rules.

 

Usually, we can’t let you know if you’ve violated a policy before you’re banned. However, we’ll try our best to get in touch if you’re a very active contributor on Connect. If you’ve already been banned, we can’t provide details about why you were removed from the program in most cases.

 

What to do if you think you’ve been wrongfully removed

If you think you may have been wrongfully removed from the program and your account hasn’t been reinstated for more than 10 days, don’t create a new account to post on Connect. (That’s against our program rules, too.)

 

Instead, fill out the Appeal form, letting us know you've been removed. Be sure to provide us with your Google Maps profile URL so we can look into it. It can take up to three weeks to investigate banned accounts, so please be patient. Our team will reach out privately as soon as we have an update.

 

We appreciate your understanding and for helping everyone navigate the world on Google Maps.

482 Comments