Google Launches New Maps Feature to Help Businesses Report Review-Based Extortion Attempts
Google announced on Thursday that it is launching a specific form that will enable companies that are listed on Google Maps to report efforts at extortion by threat actors who post false negative evaluations on the platform and demand ransom payments to have them removed.
The strategy is intended to combat a prevalent activity known as "review bombing," in which internet users purposefully publish unfavorable user evaluations in an effort to damage a good, service, or company.
According to Laurie Richardson, vice president of Trust & Safety at Google, "bad actors try to get around our moderation systems and flood a business's profile with fake one-star reviews." After this initial assault, the con artists get in touch with the company owner directly to demand payment, frequently...