Google review written under a pseudonym? This is how we do it!

It has a negative review on Google and there is only a nickname behind it. You don't know the person, or maybe you do, but the nickname makes it difficult.

In such cases, you can still defend yourself legally. sWhether they are pseudonyms or not, German legal status and Google's ranking rules count. Both are a good starting point for deleting bad entry.

You may describe your case to my office via email without obligation. I offer a free initial evaluation.

Are aliases even allowed on Google and in general?

In principle, there is nothing wrong with using aliases online. There are no laws prohibiting aliases, and most portals do not prohibit them.

Aliases are allowed on Google, although you actually have to be logged in with real data, at least when you create an account. But many don't.

There is nothing legally wrong with using pseudonyms per se, as they can be used to write a comment or post on Google. Therefore, a review from someone with a pseudonym is not automatically illegal.

Distinguish between nicknames – not all are equal legally!

But legally speaking, aliases are not entirely irrelevant. In my opinion, in individual cases it really depends on the type of alias used.

If the review is written under a pseudonym called “Hans Müller”, this is not a problem to begin with.

The case may be different if “0h380fnw04hnf” was written to the review. Such an entry, if negative about this, indicates that someone has created a fake account. Maybe just so I can write this negative review.

Therefore, not all aliases can be treated equally in a legal dispute over a bad Google entry.

Who is allowed to write comments on Google?

In order to leave a review on Google, a Google account is required. Reviews can only be written and displayed for business listings on Google Maps, making Google Maps Google's central review platform.

To create a Google Account, you must set up a Gmail address or sign up with an email address from another service provider. In Germany, according to Google's terms of service, users must be at least 16 years old to have a Google Account. Therefore, people under the age of 16 are not allowed to write reviews on Google.

Unlike review platforms like Kununu, Google does not allow anonymous reviews. Users must provide their first and last name on their About Me page, which will also be visible when submitting reviews. However, there is no requirement whether it must be his real name, initials or a pseudonym. This allows users to post reviews under a pseudonym, making it difficult for businesses to verify whether a review comes from an actual customer.

Pseudonym detection? Is this possible?

Customers who receive a negative review on Google often want to know who is behind the nickname used.

Google doesn't help here because Google either doesn't own the real data itself or won't publish it for data protection reasons. However, in criminally relevant cases, Google has to disclose the data, although this usually does not allow the real perpetrator to be identified.

In extreme cases, language analysts may be consulted who may be able to identify the person based on specific language patterns in the assessment.

Therefore, it is not impossible to reveal the pseudonym behind the Google review. However, it is easier to delete the entry – this usually solves the problem.