State Senator Vin Gopal voiced concerns over Google’s practices having negative implications for small businesses in New Jersey, specifically referencing Mirrored Memories NJ. Gopal stressed the need for increased corporate responsibility and a review of current policies to better protect these businesses.
He singled out the adverse effects of Google’s market stronghold on small businesses like Mirrored Memories NJ, a Freehold-based company established in 2019 by John Toutounchi. Unresolved issues with the tech giant have led to the loss of over fifty positive customer reviews on their Google business page, significantly hampering the promotion of their new services.
Gopal argues that the operations of big tech companies, like Google, can unintentionally suppress vital customer feedback, which is key to the growth of small businesses. Recognizing the influential role big tech plays in facilitating information flow, Gopal urges for greater transparency and fairness in these corporations’ operations.
The Senator identifies Google’s review handling as a significant issue. Their AI review systems can mistakenly flag genuine reviews as spam, and no effective recovery method exists. Gopal emphasizes the need for more accurately discerning AI algorithms and robust recovery measures.
Gopal underscored Google’s societal responsibility considering their significant influence over information dissemination through various interconnected services like Google Reviews, Google Business, Google Maps, and Google Search. He also highlighted challenges with current algorithms and regulations, and suggested improvements to optimize search results, ensure business visibility, and promote fairness in reviews.
Gopal also pointed out that Google’s review system potentially targets small businesses with limited services. He urged Google to improve its review algorithm to facilitate better interaction between business owners and Google Business, and to enhance the trust small business owners have in Google’s system.
In his conclusion, Gopal advocated for Google to reassess its review tagging methods, increase transparency for businesses trying to understand why certain reviews are labeled as spam, and consider legal measures to regulate AI use in a bid to protect small businesses from damaging corporate practices.
