Yelp Plan to Label Businesses Accused of Racism Draws Condemnation: ‘I’d Like to Accuse Yelp’

Rudy TakalaOct 9th, 2020, 6:02 pm
 

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Yelp will begin labeling businesses accused of racism, the company announced in a press release.

“As the nation reckons with issues of systemic racism, we’ve seen in the last few months that there is a clear need to warn consumers about businesses associated with egregious, racially-charged actions to help people make more informed spending decisions,” Yelp’s vice president of user operations, Noorie Malik, wrote in the statement issued Thursday. “Now, when a business gains public attention for reports of racist conduct, such as using racist language or symbols, Yelp will place a new Business Accused of Racist Behavior Alert on their Yelp page to inform users, along with a link to a news article where they can learn more about the incident.”

The company called it “an extension of our Public Attention Alert,” which was introduced as a result of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and said it would highlight businesses “associated” with individuals accused of racism.

“If someone associated with a business is accused of, or the target of, racist behavior, we will place a Public Attention Alert on the business page to warn consumers that the business may be receiving an influx of reviews as a result of increased attention,” Malik said. “For businesses accused of overtly racist actions, where we can link to a news article, we will escalate our warning with the Business Accused of Racist Behavior Alert.”

The announcement was widely panned by observers who noted the practice could lead to defamation allegations.

“If I had a Yelp account, I’d delete,” Fox News host Laura Ingraham wrote on Twitter. “Already ditched Netflix over Cuties sexualization of girls. Now Yelp becomes a weapon for #RaceBaiters.”

“I strongly support Yelp’s decision to label people and businesses ‘Racist” without evidence other than unverified claims. Because I always wanted an 8-series convertible,” conservative attorney and commentator Kurt Schlichter wrote. “Defamation victims should seek legal counsel from a lawyer in their jurisdiction.”

Republican National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon, who is also an attorney in San Francisco, offered a similar assessment. “You are weaponizing defamation,” Dhillon wrote. “More work for me, more litigation for you.”

“I’d like to accuse Yelp of racist behavior,” Tim Pool added.

The Babylon Bee, a satirical news website, similarly mocked the company in a story bearing the headline, “Yelp hires workers with megaphones to follow people around and call them racists.”

Yelp said in its statement that it had seen a 133 percent increase in the number of “media-fueled incidences” on the platform this year. It also said it had placed 450 alerts on business pages accused of or targeted by “racist behavior related to the Black Lives Matter movement” between May 26 and September 30.

“Increasingly, consumers across the U.S. are voting with their dollars by supporting businesses that align with their values,” Yelp added in its announcement. “As always, we continue to evaluate how we can best use our platform to build a better, more equitable and inclusive environment where consumers and businesses can interact safely and fully informed.”

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