Consumer Advocacy Archives

News

An Open Letter to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer

February 25, 2014

Dear Governor Brewer: I write to express my concern about SB 1062 and to respectfully request that you veto this legislation. At the heart of Yelp’s mission is giving consumers…

News

You Have the Right to Express Your Opinion Online

January 29, 2014

Because of the First Amendment, it is rare that we hear about consumers being sued for exercising their right to free speech — even with nearly 50 million reviews contributed…

News

Protecting Consumer Free Speech in Virginia: A Fight We’ll Continue

January 10, 2014

Earlier this week, the Virginia Court of Appeals announced a ruling that sets Virginia apart from other states when it comes to free speech rights for consumers. In this…

News

Los Angeles County Restaurant Hygiene Grades Now on Yelp

December 19, 2013

Earlier this year, at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., Yelp announced an open data project with the City of San Francisco: bringing restaurant hygiene scores onto…

News

Fake reviews on Yelp?! Don’t worry, we’ve got your back

September 27, 2013

A Harvard Business School study came out earlier this week that confirms something we have long known: businesses that don’t have a good reputation online will try to create one…

News

Yelp Consumer Alerts: Letting You Know Before You Spend Your Dough

August 12, 2013

The world of online reviews is an incredibly influential place. Studies show that the majority of consumers (85%) rely on the internet and review sites to find local businesses and…

News

How Yelp Protects Consumers From Fake Reviews

May 17, 2013

This blog entry was originally published on the Huffington Post. Earlier this week, the blog Eater posted an entry about an alarming Craigslist ad by an unscrupulous business owner attempting…

Businesses

Yelp’s recommendation software explained

March 18, 2010

We frequently get asked about our “review filter” in reference to the Yelp recommendation software. The video above is designed to help folks understand why Yelp’s recommendation software exists and how…

Businesses

Why Yelp Has A Review Filter

October 5, 2009

Well, that review filter is called the Recommendation Software and it serves a really important purpose. Here at Yelp, we’re trying to connect people with great local businesses. Providing consumers…

News

Shill Reviews in the News

January 28, 2009

A couple of review scandals involving product reviews (on Amazon) have been in the news of late. The newest one came to my attention yesterday when David Pogue over at…

News

Letter to the Editor: San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

January 14, 2009

In the Chronicle's alarmist rush to highlight the supposed risks of online review writing they missed that a Yelp user has already won a lawsuit challenging her right to post…

News

FOX KTVU’s Amber Lee

January 12, 2009

Every now and then one of the local TV News outlets here in the Bay Area will do a story on Yelp and such reporting has often been sensational and…