Google steps in after McDonald's gets ‘review bombed’ over arrest in UnitedHealth CEO's murder

Google said that such negative reviews, unrelated to the actual business, “violates” its policies, and hence have been removed.

Published on: Dec 10, 2024, 11:54:33 IST

By HT News Desk

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Google on Monday stepped in to help McDonald's with the negative comments it received in what is known as "review bombing" after the suspect of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson's murder was arrested in its outlet in Pennsylvania's Altoona.

A person holds a sign while standing on the roadside near the McDonald's restaurant where Luigi Mangione was arrested. (Reuters)

In review bombing, an organisation is hit with a sea of negative reviews on the basis of a political incident or occurrence which is actually unrelated to its business, Reuters reported.

A 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested from McDonald's in Altoona after a customer spotted him dining at the restaurant and alerted an employee about it, state police said.

ALSO READ | Luigi Mangione charged with murder in UnitedHealth Brian Thompson case

Following Mangione's arrest, McDonald's began receiving negative and one-star reviews. Google stepped in to help the food chain and removed the derogatory reviews about it.

"These reviews violate our policies and have been removed," a Google spokesperson's emailed statement was cited by Reuters.

The tech giant's policy states that reviews should "reflect a genuine experience at a place or business", adding that "content that has been posted from multiple accounts to manipulate a place's rating" will be removed.

One such reviews posted against McDonald's said, "This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn't going to cover it."

Brian Thompson's murder sent a wave of frustration among Americans, who are seeing their health insurance claims or care being denied, having to face unexpected costs or paid more for premiums and medical area, recent data shows.

ALSO READ | Why did Luigi Mangione kill UnitedHealth CEO? ‘Painful’ back surgery, social media posts, and a fake ID

The 50-year-old insurance executive was shot down outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4 by a masked man who seemed to have been waiting for his arrival. Thompson was shot from behind.

The suspect then fled the scene and rode a bike into Central Park. Surveillance footage captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to northern Manhattan's bus station, where cops believe he took a bus to flee the city.

Mangione was arrested by police on Monday and charged with Thompson's murder, possession of unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.

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HT News Desk
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