Google has updated its Google Maps contributor guidelines, specifically disallowing a business to incentivize those who leave negative reviews to remove those reviews. Previously, the guidelines only prohibited incentivizing leaving positive reviews.

The updated guideline can be found over here under the deceptive content and fake engagement section. It now reads “Contributions to Google Maps should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business. Fake engagement is not allowed and will be removed.” Google continued “Content that has been incentivized by a business in exchange for discounts, free goods and/or services.” And the new section now says “This includes merchant requests for revision or removal of a negative review through offered discounts, free goods or services, or other incentives.”

Here is a screenshot you can click on to enlarge:

This was spotted first by Joy Hawkins on Twitter.

Forum discussion at Twitter.