TL;DR
- People and businesses in the EU can now challenge fake Google Maps reviews by submitting a dispute to the Appeals Centre.
- This gives entrepreneurs, small business owners and consumers a new way to fight back against fake reviews.
- Submitting a dispute is free-of-charge and every eligible case where we receive the content is independently reviewed by our experts.
Why Do Fake Reviews Matter?
From where to go for dinner, to where to go on holiday, people are increasingly making their decisions online. According to research cited in a recent report by EU consumer body BEUC, 93% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase.
Unfortunately, however, large numbers of fake reviews are being bought with the sole purpose of misleading customers. The impact of this for both businesses and consumers can be serious – and even life-changing.
When a restaurant operating on slim margins receives hundreds of fake one-star reviews on Google Maps, people read them and bookings dry up. This might mean they have to let staff go, or – in the worst case – shut down completely.
Or imagine someone who’s saved up all year for a family holiday at a hotel with five-star reviews on Google Maps. However, once they arrive, they have a terrible experience, because the reviews had been bought – not earned.
Google has measures in place to tackle this issue, removing more than 220 million fake and misleading Google Maps reviews worldwide in 2025. However, we believe that out-of-court dispute settlement bodies, like the Appeals Centre can also be part of the solution.
How Can the Appeals Centre Help?
We are now accepting disputes about Google Maps. This means that if you see a review on Google Maps which you think is fake and breaks the rules, you should report it to Google and then send us a dispute. You can also submit a dispute if a review you posted is wrongly removed, or if your Google account is suspended because of a review you posted.
To submit a dispute to us, go to www.appealscentre.eu, set up an account, start a dispute and take five minutes to tell us about your case. After contacting Google to get the relevant information, we’ll decide whether we think the review is fake and violates the platform’s rules.
As part of this, we undertake a “genuineness check” on whether the review reflects a genuine experience by the person who posted it, looking at the wider context of other reviews they have posted on Google Maps. While our decisions are non-binding, platforms are required to engage in good faith and decide whether to implement our decision.
What Can I Do Next?
You can help us spread the word to consumers, entrepreneurs and small businesses in the EU that this new option exists. You can also learn more about your rights under the Digital Services Act in our User Support Guide.
As we receive our first disputes and make our first decisions about fake reviews on Google Maps, we will publish our findings in our next Transparency Report later this year.
Click the button below to submit a dispute to the Appeals Centre:
