Google will soon make all user reviews for movies, TV shows, books, albums, and games visible on a single profile page starting June 24.
These profiles will be searchable via Google, potentially allowing others to profile users based on their preferences.
Initially, the ability to post movie reviews was launched for users in India in 2017, but it has since been expanded globally. Last year, Google started making these review profiles public and searchable in certain regions, including the U.S. and India. This feature is being rolled out globally.
Users will be able to see all reviews posted by any individual by clicking on their profile.
Google offers an option to make profiles private, but this toggle was only made available earlier this week, according to SEO consultant Gagan Ghotra.
A Google spokesperson stated that these profiles are intended to make it easier for people to manage and view their reviews in one place and to make them more helpful for others.
While these reviews were already public, users now have the control to make their profiles private or delete them altogether.
Profiles will be public by default, meaning if users are unaware of their profile page, their reviews will be visible to everyone.
Google claims to have notified users about this change through the Google Profile interface and pop-ups on existing reviews.
However, many users might not realize the existence of this new profile page.
Gagan Ghotra pointed out that searchable profiles could be used by potential employers to assess the opinions of future employees, impacting hiring decisions.
Additionally, advertisers could scrape this data for targeted advertising.
To hide your profile, follow these steps:
1. Visit profile.google.com.
2. Click on the three-dot menu next to your profile name.
3. Select “Profile Options.”
4. Turn on the Profile Privacy toggle.
Even if you hide your profile, individual reviews will still be visible under specific titles but won’t link back to your profile page.
