Google Removes Derogatory Reviews About McDonald's

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald's after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) executive Brian Thompson was arrested at its restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Police say a customer alerted a local employee about him.

The negative comments aimed at McDonald's were the latest in what is known as "review bombing," where an establishment is bombarded with bad reviews based on a political view or an unrelated occurrence to its actual business.

In this case, the negative and one-star reviews appeared after Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured at the McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in Altoona. He was spotted eating at the restaurant by a customer who alerted a McDonald's employee, state police reported.

"These reviews violate our policies and have been removed," a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The policy states that review contributions "should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business" and that "content that has been posted from multiple accounts to manipulate a place's rating" will be removed.

One review claimed, "This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn't going to cover it."

The insurance executive's murder sparked frustration from Americans who have encountered denied health insurance claims, unexpected costs, or increased premiums and medical care—trends that have been rising according to recent data.

Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to be waiting for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.

The suspect fled the scene, rode a bike into Central Park, and was captured on surveillance video exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan. Police believe he boarded a bus to escape the city. Authorities indicated that Thompson was likely a deliberate target.

The suspect was arrested after a five-day manhunt.