Yelp to Mark Businesses That Have Been "Accused of Racist Behavior"

Review website Yelp is rolling out a new feature to alert consumers if a business has been accused of “racist behavior.”

The alert will be added to the review page of organizations that see an increase in reviews based on what people may see in the news, rather than on first-hand experience.

According to Yelp, “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 move has been slammed on social media for its potential to be abused and weaponized, and the risk of bankruptcy it poses to businesses that may be unfairly targeted for personal, political, or other reasons.

Those at high risk may be the organizations that refuse to acquiesce to the current demands of the mob, whether it’s rainbow affirmation or kneeling to Black Lives Matter. After all, we’ve seen what the Left are like on social media with their mass-reporting and demands of deplatforming political and religious opponents.

According to Yelp, in 2020 the review website saw a “133% increase in the number of media-fueled incidences on Yelp compared to the same time last year. Between May 26 and September 30, [Yelp] placed more than 450 alerts on business pages that were either accused of, or the target of, racist behavior related to the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Twitter reacts:

This news article link better be pinned to @Yelp’s homepage “to inform users”.

So they can learn more. pic.twitter.com/fmHn26MxIS
— Avi Yemini 🇦🇺🇮🇱 (@OzraeliAvi) October 9, 2020

If you are falsely accused of racism by Yelp, which is not merely printing others’ statements but making its own editorial decisions, you should consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction to determine your rights under the law. @pnjaban https://t.co/s0qLmgwEWw
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 9, 2020

Yelp is introducing a "Business Accused of Racist Behavior Alert" for businesses.

I say we nominate every single business that implements affirmative action hiring or promotes critical race theory for such a warning 🤗 https://t.co/3EdVA0aGJT
— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) October 9, 2020

The bullshit never ends.
What are the odds that this isn’t insanely abused? https://t.co/lqgwxdKynt
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 9, 2020

What about discrimination against people wearing red hats? https://t.co/N6LxsKPBWV
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 9, 2020

This is becoming all too Black Mirror-ish… https://t.co/hhU2xceYLM
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) October 9, 2020

This is an inducement to false accusation and thuggery. What if a bunch of people wantonly accuse @yelp of racism? Will they place a racist alert on their own company? https://t.co/q4bi3Pqxbq
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) October 9, 2020

Psychopaths. So @yelp if we accuse you of racism will you mark your own site as being accused of racism? This idiotic policy will be weaponized. It‘ll destroy families and their businesses which will hurt their kids. Will Yelp get a "you’ve been accused of hurting kids" badge? https://t.co/pIZnUxh9Cl
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) October 9, 2020

I thought China was supposed to steal our intellectual property–not the other way around. https://t.co/A4cTLQIO8e
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) October 9, 2020