Today, the Office of the New York Attorney General announced that it took action against several businesses that tried to mislead consumers through paid, fake reviews, also known as astroturfing. We applaud these efforts, which further demonstrate that deceptive reviews are a form of false advertising and therefore subject to prosecution. These actions of the… Read more
For nearly twelve years, we at Yelp have been working around the clock to promote consumer trust. At the heart of this mission is the belief that consumers need access to reliable information before deciding where to spend their hard-earned money. Yelp’s Consumer Protection Initiative has produced a variety of programs that empower and protect… Read more
Today, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on “How Gagging Honest Reviews Harms Consumers and the Economy,” focusing on the proposed Consumer Review Freedom Act and preventing non-disparagement clauses in consumer contracts. Americans have a deep tradition of sharing opinions, whether directly through word of mouth to our friends and… Read more
Earlier this week we announced new Consumer Alerts, part of our Consumer Protection Initiative, to protect people from attempts to mislead them on Yelp. Although most businesses earn their reputations fairly, some are becoming sophisticated in their attempts to manipulate their online reputation. Fortunately, Yelp is just as committed to protecting the integrity of our… Read more
Consumer trust has always been Yelp’s number one priority. From our LIVES open data standard integrating restaurant health scores onto business pages, to our more recent ProPublica partnership incorporating health care statistics onto the Yelp business pages of medical treatment facilities, our goal is to provide people with as much information as possible before they… Read more
UPDATE (April 2019): ProPublica has ceased its dialysis center data collection and that information is no longer displayed on Yelp listings as a result. Yelp exists to empower and protect consumers, and we’re continually focused on how we can enhance our service while enhancing the ability for consumers to make smart transactional decisions along the… Read more
Yelp launched its Consumer Alerts program nearly three years ago to catch people who might be trying to manipulate ratings and reviews. Today, we’re activating a new round of 51 alerts. Yelp has a team of investigators who scour the site, infiltrate message boards and classified ads, and research tips from our community of users… Read more
Businesses and powerful interest groups routinely threaten the rights of consumers who speak out on matters of public interest on sites like Yelp. Many of them try to pervert the legal system with Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and bogus non-disparagement clauses in an effort to silence their critics. In the United States, Yelpers enjoy… Read more
Yelp began its Consumer Alerts program in October of 2012 to help consumers make more informed spending decisions. Our team of detectives is on a mission to catch businesses which may be trying to mislead consumers. We place a clear warning on the front of the offending business’ Yelp page, and link to relevant evidence…. Read more
Yelp goes to extraordinary lengths in an effort to protect consumers from fake reviews. Our recommendation software is at the center of our operations, highlighting only those reviews that we think are going to be most helpful and reliable for consumers. In addition, we employ a team of investigators who track down the most egregious… Read more