McDonald's in Altoona, PA flooded with Google reviews after suspect arrested in CEO's killing [View all]

Google intervened and removed negative online reviews aimed at McDonald's this week after a suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was arrested at the fast food chain's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

A Google spokesperson told USA TODAY on Tuesday the negative reviews, which were unrelated to the actual business, violated its policies and were removed. Some reviews that appeared to reference the arrest were still active Tuesday morning, with some receiving hundreds of likes.

The spokesperson confirmed Google would continue to remove additional derogatory reviews online.

According to Google's online policies, contributed content must be based on the reviewer’s real experiences with a location, and Google closely monitors policy-violating content. Google is also is placing additional protections on the profiles to prevent further off-topic reviews.

The negative reviews popped up online after Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured on Monday following a multi-day manhunt at a McDonald’s in Altoona, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh. According to Pennsylvania State Police, he was spotted eating at the restaurant by a customer who alerted a McDonald's employee.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/12/10/altoona-pennsylvania-mcdonalds-google-reviews/76883542007/

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Does anyone seriously believe that the decision whether to patronize this McDonald's will hinge on a Google review about the arrest?