Google removes some fake names pranksters gave to Hong Kong schools on Maps

Tech company Google has removed many of the fake and offensive names that pranksters gave to Hong Kong schools listed on its Maps service, but some of the disparaging edits remain unchanged, the Post has found.

The Hong Kong office of Google said on Friday the company had taken steps to prevent further abuse of the service and was removing edits that violated its content policy.

“We are aware that irrelevant content may occasionally be contributed on Google Maps,” it said. “When this happens, we do our best to address the situation as quickly as possible.”

Allowing users to contribute content helped the company keep information on Google Maps “authentic and reliable”, the office said, adding that anyone who noticed inaccuracies should report them.

Education authorities on Thursday said they had received reports from schools that their names had been altered on the popular platform.