Around sixty Japanese doctors have launched a class action lawsuit against Google Maps for having ignored the negative and virulent opinions to which they sometimes receive. The doctors are demanding 1.4 million yen (8,500 euros) in damages from the American internet giant, which they consider responsible for not having acted to combat these criticisms.
They sued him Thursday, saying they are unable to respond to or refute reputation-damaging reviews because of their obligation to respect patient confidentiality. “People who post reviews online can say anything anonymously, even if it’s just slander or insults,” one of the doctors told reporters.
“It’s like I’m a punching bag.”
“It’s like I’m a punching bag,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. According to a lawyer for the plaintiffs, the case before the Tokyo District Court would be the first class action in the country targeting a platform over negative online reviews.
“Despite the ease with which they are posted, it has become extremely difficult to remove the notices,” lawyer Yuichi Nakazawa told AFP. “This can lead doctors to do their jobs constantly dreading doing the “the subject of horrible criticism,” he added.
The goal of many medical facilities is not to satisfy patients but to treat their illnesses from a professional perspective, according to the complaint. “Clinics that only give patients a superficial diagnosis and prescribe medications on demand would have no place from a medical point of view, but would be highly appreciated by patients,” we can read in this document .
Refusal of medical examinations
If nothing were to change, doctors “may hesitate to take firm action and refuse unnecessary tests or medications requested by patients,” warned Nakazawa. Ultimately, it does society a disservice, he added.
The plaintiffs acknowledge that Google removes certain reviews on Maps based on its own criteria, which they consider opaque. Google told AFP it was “working to reduce inaccurate and misleading content on Google Maps”. “Through the combination of human operators and computers, we protect business profiles around the clock and remove unfair reviews,” said the American giant.