This all started for me about three years ago, when I left a Google review for a doctor saying I felt discriminated against. Shortly after, I got slapped with a legal threat demanding €40,000 in damages. I ended up settling and paying €1,000 in legal fees just to avoid the nightmare of going to court. That was my wake-up call—but back then, I thought it was an edge case.
It’s not.
Lately, it’s hit the restaurant scene hard. In just the past few weeks, I’ve received around 15 emails from Google telling me my reviews were removed. Every single one was a review below 5 stars. No hate speech, no personal attacks—just honest feedback like “service was slow” or “overpriced for the quality.” All gone.
Here’s the kicker: Google now asks me to prove I’m telling the truth about my experience. Think about how insane that is. How do you “prove” a bad dining experience? Am I supposed to film my entire meal in case I need evidence later?
Meanwhile, businesses don’t have to prove anything to claim defamation. All they need is a lawyer who knows how to fire off the right takedown request, and Google caves.
The result? You can’t trust the review scores anymore. Negative feedback is disappearing, and everything looks like a 4.7-star gem—even if it’s objectively mediocre. What used to be a crowdsourced recommendation engine has turned into a polished PR board.
It’s sad. Reviews used to be one of the most useful parts of the internet—messy, flawed, but real. In Germany, at least on Google Maps, they’re now basically fake.
janandonly•20h ago
To prevent spam, a web of trust has te be employed.