What reviews and posts can be removed?

Reviews, posts, comments and videos that break the published policy of the platform they appear on. Each platform names its own grounds, and the platform decides each report. A review that breaks none of them usually stays up, however harsh it is. What platforms keep, and what we do not take, is on what content can’t be removed.

On Google, the grounds are the headings of the Maps user-generated content policy. Fake engagement covers reviews not based on a real experience, paid reviews, reviews posted from several accounts by one person, and reviews posted on a competitor’s profile to hurt it. Rating manipulation covers conflicts of interest, which Google says include current or former employment, industry competitors and family relationships. Offensive content covers “unsubstantiated allegations of unethical behavior or criminal wrongdoing.” The Google review policy guide explains each one.

Other Google headings apply to reviews too. Harassment covers threats and doxxing. Personal information covers a person’s full name or face posted without consent, but Google allows the name of a doctor, lawyer, realtor or other professional who does business under their own name. Off-topic covers political or social commentary and personal rants. Advertising and solicitation covers reviews that contain email addresses, phone numbers or links. If someone demands money to stop posting bad reviews, Google has a separate report form, described in our guide to Google review extortion.

Other platforms use their own names for similar grounds. Trustpilot’s Guidelines for Businesses let a business flag a review for five reasons: it is harmful or illegal, it contains personal information, it is advertising or promotional, it is not based on a genuine experience, or it is about a different business. Yelp’s Content Guidelines list relevance, inappropriate content, conflicts of interest, privacy and promotional content, and ban reviews drafted or revised with AI tools. Removal on Yelp depends on Yelp’s own review. Reddit judges a post against the subreddit’s rules and Reddit’s sitewide rules, covered in can you remove Reddit posts.

A review does not need text to be removed. Of the 1,170 Google reviews we hold a copy of that came down after we filed them, 6.8% were a star rating with no words (TrustReviews data, October 2026). Most of what we remove is Google reviews; how we remove reviews outside Google covers the other platforms. See one-star reviews with no text.