Google bans people from posting negative online reviews of former employers

Internet giant says it is a 'conflict of interest'

The Google app logo is seen on a smartphone in this picture illustration taken September 15, 2017 (Reuters)

Google has banned people from posting negative reviews of their former employers on its business tool.

Google My Business is the tool behind the rating that appears on-screen when you carry out search for a business, such as a pub or restaurant, using the search engine or its maps functions.

Now the Internet giant has decided to clamp down on who can post reviews in a bid to make them more accurate.

It has updated its review policies, to ban people from reviewing their former place of work negatively.

“Maps user contributed content is most valuable when it is honest and unbiased,” it reads, adding that “posting negative content about a current or former employment experience” is not allowed.

Google considers it to be a “conflict of interest”.

Users are also banned from reviewing their own business and posting negative content about a competitor to manipulate ratings.

Previously, former employees were free to post biased reviews of places they used to work at.

These had the potential to damage a company's reputation in the eyes of an actual customer and were difficult to remove, reports Search Engine Land, which spotted Google’s policy change.

The alteration will make it easier for companies to get Google to remove any reviews they consider to be unfair, which should result in the ratings becoming more useful for ordinary people.