pull down to refresh

Google is blocking negative reviews of Tesla dealers
20 sats \ 5 comments \ @_Bubble_2009 20 Mar news
First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
Google
motivation:
write
preview
this territory is moderated
related posts
0 sats \ 1 reply \ @clr 20 Mar
They did the same during covid hysteria, when people would brigade-rate 1-star shops that forced customers to wear masks or vaccinate. This is not new.
For instance, when governments and businesses started requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccine before entering certain places, we put extra protections in place to remove Google reviews that criticize a business for its health and safety policies or for complying with a vaccine mandate.
https://blog.google/products/maps/how-google-maps-reviews-work/
reply
0 sats \ 0 replies \ @_Bubble_2009 OP 20 Mar
That they have already done it does not mean that they have to do it again.
Of course, for an American giant, going against a person so close to the president is not convenient.
Once upon a time, Google was the emblem of freedom of expression, now, it is no longer even a shadow of what it was at the beginning.
reply
0 sats \ 2 replies \ @grayruby 20 Mar
I think that's perfectly reasonable for a private enterprise to do. Since they likely cannot verify if they are genuine reviews or a coordinated political spam attack it seems reasonable to pause them. If millions of people started spamming Google reviews it calls into question the quality of Google reviews and impairs an important line of business.
I would prefer it was done in a different way as people who have legitimate reviews should be able to post them but I understand their position.
reply
40 sats \ 1 reply \ @_Bubble_2009 OP 20 Mar
Probably you are right, but this is the end of 1st Amendment
reply
0 sats \ 0 replies \ @grayruby 20 Mar
I don't think anyone is stopping protesters from standing outside Tesla dealerships so I wouldn't go that far. I do wish google offered a better solution. If I go to a dealership and they provide me crappy service or great service I should be able to share that but I understand the difficulty of the problem. Google can't just allow spam. Maybe they need pay to post like SN.
reply