California enacted a law protecting consumers from lawsuits over bad reviews they post online. The law prevents businesses from requiring consumers to waive their right to comment on services. Businesses have been demanding monetary payments for negative reviews posted by customers. (The Washington Post, September 10, 2014, by Niraj Chokshi)
The law makes it possible for consumers to post negative reviews on Yelp with impunity. Yelp’s Laurent Crenshaw said the law was a boost for free speech and blogged, “A five-star rating for a business who had used one of these clauses to simply scare all negative reviewers into removing their comments wouldn’t really represent the experience a consumer could expect to have at that business in our opinion.” (National Journal, Setember 11, 2014, by Laura Ryan)