According to an investigation by the n-tv channel, citizens in Germany are being forced to delete negative reviews on Google under the threat of lawsuits and fines. Journalists have gathered various stories from people who have faced this issue.
Among the victims are two women from Düsseldorf who contracted salmonellosis after visiting an establishment that offers shawarma. They claim that there were over 40 affected individuals. There is also a case involving a man from Berlin who rated medical services 3 out of 5 stars due to inflated bills. As a result, the clinic hired lawyers, and the man was forced to pay 1,000 euros under the threat of a lawsuit, as the legal costs could have been higher.
n-tv revealed that there is a growing market for lawyers in Germany specializing in the removal of negative reviews. A journalist from the channel conducted an experiment: she asked an acquaintance who owns a restaurant to contact lawyers to request the removal of negative comments. During their search, they found advertisements from law firms offering such services starting at 49 euros per review. Lawyers send letters to Google, and most of the time, reviews are removed, as the company prefers to avoid legal disputes. Typically, lawyers point out flaws in the personal data of the reviewer or their inaccuracies.
Consumer rights experts recommend not only leaving negative reviews but also documenting the incident with photographs, receipts, and contracts. Additionally, it is advisable to avoid writing a review in a state of emotional upheaval — it is better to give oneself time and write the next day to avoid accusations of insults.
In November, similar issues were highlighted by Der Spiegel magazine. According to its data, Google began mass notifying users in Germany that their negative reviews had been removed due to potential defamation and offered to contest this with evidence. In 2024, 2.7 million critical reviews were removed in the European Union, with nearly 99% of them concerning Germany. One reason for this is a decision by the Federal Supreme Court of Germany in 2022, which allows companies receiving negative ratings to claim that the reviews did not come from real customers, without burdening themselves with evidence. At the same time, online services are required to thoroughly verify the authenticity of such reviews after such claims.
