Google on Monday took down derogatory reviews of McDonald’s after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was arrested at its Altoona, Pennsylvania, restaurant.
The negative reviews directed at McDonald’s were part of a trend known as “review bombing,” where businesses receive a barrage of bad reviews due to political views or events unrelated to their services, according to Reuters.
In this case, negative one-star reviews appeared after 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was captured at a McDonald’s in Altoona. A customer spotted him eating at the restaurant and alerted a McDonald’s employee, according to state police.
“These reviews violate our policies and have been removed,” a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The policy says 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.
“This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick and your insurance isn’t going to cover it,” one review said.
The murder of the insurance executive sparked frustration among Americans who have experienced denied health insurance claims, unexpected costs, or higher premiums and medical bills—trends that have been increasing, according to recent data.
Thompson, 50, was shot outside a Manhattan hotel early Wednesday morning by a masked assailant who appeared to be waiting for him before firing from behind.
