Search engine and review platform such as Google helps to enhance the visibility of a business. It is possible to establish credibility using customer reviews. It is one of the aspects in which small and medium businesses suffer the most. Over time, it has become extremely important to maintain an online presence. Some new features have been introduced by Google to help customers. These new features enable businesses to connect with their customers quickly and inform them regarding business hours and service changes.  

According to the reports, Google has updated itself with machine learning systems to catch fake reviews. The search engine removes it from the system. In addition to fake reviews, Google takes care of fake business listings, fraudulent videos and audio at the same time. 

Both the human review teams and the automated systems of Google have eliminated more than 200 million pictures, 7 million videos and also 115 million reviews. The number of removed reviews has increased by almost 20% in comparison to the last year. 

How Google Takes Care of User-Contributed Spam

By using techniques of brand-new machine learning, Google catches fake reviews and fraudulent content. Machine learning searches for unusual patterns to find duplicitous activities. It includes a new form of flagging for abuses that users may not have seen before.

Google informs that they have been using machine intelligence for a long time to detect patterns of abuse. Search engine evolves its technology to deliver better service to the customer. Some updates regarding machine learning have come into being in the last year that help to spot novel abuses faster than before.

The automated system can notice a sudden uptick in the profiles and websites that comes with .design or. top. Previously, it may have been very difficult to detect these profiles manually from the pools of millions of profiles. 

Google’s analyst team confirms quickly that the websites are fake. These websites are removed and all the associated accounts are disabled. The system reviews new content before it is published to eliminate chances of fake content submission in the Google Map System. By using the same method, already published content is also checked which the system may have missed during the initial review. So, it is possible to block spam faster now. 

Sometimes, scammers overlay the wrong phone number on the pictures to trick the victims in the name of the actual business. It diverts the phone call from the business to the scammer.

To deal with the problem, Google utilises the new machine learning system that detects numbers easily upon the contributed images through visual detail analysis. The model allows Google to find and block the majority of fraudulent activity before it is published.  

Statistics on Spam Blocking

In 2022, Google has shared some data:

• Google has managed to block 115 million reviews before it is published
• The new algorithm has removed 300 million images along with 7 million videos as they have violated the content policy of Google.
• 20 million attempts to create fake business profiles have been blocked
• Heightening protection level for more than 185,000 businesses that have been experiencing suspicious actions.

Stay Safe, Authentic and Reliable

Blocking reviews has become easy due to the presence of human reviewers and an automated system. It is possible to stop inauthentic activity in the Google Maps Ecosystem.