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posted by cmn32480 on Sunday September 18 2016, @10:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the yelp-needs-help dept.

A California lawsuit could lead to negative reviews being removed from the web.

Yelp.com is warning that a California lawsuit targeting critical posts about a law firm could lead to the removal of negative reviews and leave consumers with a skewed assessment of restaurants and other businesses.

Lawyer Dawn Hassell said the business review website is exaggerating the stakes of her legal effort, which aims only to remove from Yelp lies, not just negative statements, that damaged the reputation of her law firm.

Though its impact is in dispute, the case is getting attention from some of the biggest Internet companies in the world, which say a ruling against Yelp could stifle free speech online and effectively gut other websites whose main function is offering consumers reviews of services and businesses.

A San Francisco judge determined the posts were defamatory and ordered the company to remove them two years ago, which a second judge and a state appeals court upheld.

The case is now headed for the California Supreme Court.


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 18 2016, @05:48PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 18 2016, @05:48PM (#403452) Journal

    Ditto here. I am almost religious about posting reviews of products I've purchased. Often enough, I highlight some feature or function that wasn't even a main selling point. And, when I give a bad review, I'm very specific about what I found lacking in the product.

    I kinda feel like it's a duty to evaluate stuff, so that other people don't waste their money on junk.

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