Adrian JohnsonTLDR:
– Google has introduced new technology to combat fake reviews on its platforms, resulting in a 45% increase in the removal of fake reviews compared to the previous year.
– The new system uses machine learning to identify patterns that indicate the presence of fake reviews, such as identical reviews for multiple businesses or a sudden surge in excessively positive or negative reviews.
– Google has also removed over 170 million reviews, blocked fake business profiles, and taken down policy-breaking videos.
Google has implemented a new technology to tackle the issue of fake reviews on its platforms. Using machine learning, the system scans for patterns that suggest reviews may not be genuine, such as the repetition of the same review on multiple businesses or a sudden influx of very positive or very negative reviews for a particular business. This enables the system to identify individual fake reviews as well as larger-scale scams.
The introduction of this technology has resulted in a 45% increase in the removal of fake reviews compared to the previous year. Google’s team closely examines suspicious reviews, particularly when business owners report a sudden rise in fake positive reviews. This analysis has allowed Google to improve its system and eliminate 5 million fake reviews associated with a specific scam within a few weeks.
In addition to fighting fake reviews, Google has taken action against other forms of policy-breaking content. In 2023, over 170 million reviews were stopped or removed for violating Google’s rules. The company has also blocked or removed over 12 million fake business profiles and 14 million policy-violating videos. Furthermore, Google prevented over 2 million attempts to claim business profiles that did not belong to the claimant.
While Google did not disclose the number of fake photos removed this year, they have focused on addressing the increase in fake videos instead. The company acknowledges that fake reviews and spam pose significant challenges for users and businesses, and it is constantly working to combat these issues. As Google develops new methods to combat spam, those who create spam continually seek alternative ways to evade detection.
