Google review policy: impersonation and misinformation
Three neighboring Google policies deal with deception: impersonation, misinformation and misrepresentation. They remove reviews from accounts posing as someone else, fake official notices, and harmful, deceptive health claims. They do not remove a review because the business says it is inaccurate. We report the clear cases for health brands.
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State Medical Board
1 week ago on Google
Official notice: this clinic is under investigation and patients should stop treatment.
The account pretends to be an official body. Google bars posing as an authoritative source.
Priya S.
1 month ago on Google
I was billed twice for one visit. It took three calls to fix.
A real billing complaint. The answer is a reply and a fix.
Example. Reviews written by us. Not real reviews.
Short answer
Google removes reviews that impersonate a person, a group or an organization, or that pretend to be an official source. Its misinformation policy covers harmful, deceptive health or medical information. Its misrepresentation policy covers false accounts of a service. None of them settles an ordinary dispute about what happened during a visit.
Key facts
Google bars content that seeks to impersonate any person, group or organization, and content that pretends to be a verified authoritative source.
Source: Prohibited and restricted content, Google Maps User Generated Content Policy
Google's misinformation policy covers harmful content that contains deceptive or misleading health or medical information.
Source: Prohibited and restricted content, Google Maps User Generated Content Policy
Google's misrepresentation policy covers false or misleading accounts of the description or quality of a good or service.
Source: Prohibited and restricted content, Google Maps User Generated Content Policy
This rule in 27 seconds
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The rule, in Google's words
Google's Prohibited and restricted content page says: "Don't use Google Maps to impersonate any person, group, or organization." That includes:
Content posted or shared seeking to impersonate any person, group, or organization.
Content that is pretending to be a verified authoritative source.
Under misinformation it bars "harmful content that contains deceptive or misleading health or medical information". Under misrepresentation it bars "false or misleading accounts of the description or quality of a good or service" and "distorting or omitting facts to scam other users". Google allows "alternative names for a person or organization where the content is not attempting to mislead others".
What this rule does not cover
- A nickname or a pen name on a Google account.
- A patient's honest belief about what went wrong.
- Your disagreement with the reviewer's account.
Google's report page sets the general limit: "Do not report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it."
Evidence that supports a report
- The account name and what it pretends to be.
- Proof it is not them. A line from the real person or body, or a link to the real body's official channel.
- For a health claim, the sentence, and one line on why it could cause harm.
Examples
These examples are ours. They are written to show the rule and are not real reviews. The cards at the top of this page show one review that can qualify and one that stays.
| Review text | Outcome under this policy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An account named "State Medical Board" posting a warning | Can be reported | Pretending to be an authoritative source |
| A review under your own doctor's name attacking the clinic | Can be reported | Impersonating a person |
| "Skip the clinic, this supplement cures thyroid disease" | Can be reported | Deceptive health information that can cause harm |
| "The treatment did not work and I feel misled" | Stays online | An experience and an opinion |
| A reviewer using a nickname | Stays online | Google allows alternative names |
How to report it
A business reports a review from its Business Profile or from Google's Reviews Management Tool. Google says evaluation typically takes several days, and each review gets one appeal.
Report the review, then the profile. An impersonating account tends to post more than once, and Google's profile report handles the whole history. Keep a screenshot of the account page with the date.
For health brands
Fake official notices do real damage to a clinic, because patients take them at face value. If a review claims to come from a regulator, check with the regulator, and say so in your appeal. Do not reply to it in public as if it were real.
Where to go next
See the main Google review removal page. For reviews by people with a stake in your business, see conflict of interest. The qualification tool checks a review against Google's policies in a few questions.
We do this work for clients through our Google review removal service, and the price per removed review is published.
Frequently asked questions
Google's policy names false or misleading accounts of the quality of a service. In practice Google also says it does not get involved in conflict between businesses and customers. A dispute about what happened is a weak case. A review of a service you do not offer is a strong one.
Report the review for impersonation, and report the user profile from the Google Maps app as well. The doctor can report it too.
Only if it is harmful and deceptive, in Google's words. 'This drug cures diabetes' in a review is a fair case. 'It did not work for me' is an experience.
Primary sources used on this page
- Prohibited and restricted content. Google Maps User Generated Content PolicyLast verified
- Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile. Google Business Profile HelpLast verified