Update: We've received the following response from Google on this development: "We have clear content policies in place to ensure the quality of local listings on Google Maps and Google Places. We take violations of these policies, including spamming and other fraudulent or illegal activities, very seriously and we reserve the right to block or delete the accounts of those responsible. We work hard to remove listings that are reported to violate our policies as quickly as possible, and to check bad actors that try to game the system by altering business descriptions once they are live on Google Maps. We encourage users to let us know when they see something that might violate our guidelines by using our “Report a Problem” tool, found at the bottom right corner of the map." Perhaps Google needs to include the 'report a problem' button in the listing itself. The 'Report a problem' link at the bottom of the page is far too small and nondescript: it's barely noticeable. Earlier today: Google might get into trouble for this: the new Google maps being rolled out has listings for escort services, call girls and gigilos, all over the Central Park area of Rajiv Chowk (Connought Place) in Delhi. A MediaNama reader, who doesn't wish to be named, for the fear of being subjected to jokes about searching for call girls on google, was trying out the new Google maps and alerted us to these listings. These listings are visible only at maximum zoom level.…
