Yelp said that it will include an alert on the review pages of businesses on its platform that received reports of first-hand accounts of racist acts.
American company Yelp had announced that it would tag the review pages of businesses with reported incidents of racism against customers or employees. On October 8, the review site released the new feature of its platform, as it sees the need “to warn customers about businesses associated with egregious, racially-charged actions.”
The New Racism Alert
The tech company has announced that it will include an alert to the Yelp pages of businesses that received increased reports of discrimination. Actually, the move comes as intense protests against social injustice sparked following the death of George Floyd.
Today, we’re announcing a new consumer alert to stand against racism. In the last few months, we’ve seen 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 (@Yelp) October 8, 2020
Particularly, the racist behaviors include using racist slurs or symbolisms, the New York Times reported. Moreover, it will link the alert with “credible media,” and the racist actions should have “resounding evidence,” though Yelp did not elaborate, the Times said. So, businesses accused of racist behavior will have an “Accused of Racist Behavior” alert on its Yelp page.
From First-Hand Accounts
The New York Times has said in an article that Yelp’s move has received questioning. Particularly, on how the company will implement such. Moreover, they also have to make sure that nobody would attack particular businesses with false claims.
Therefore, Yelp said that the platform will assure that reviews come from first-hand experiences. Also, the company claimed that it doesn’t “allow people to leave reviews based on media reports because it can artificially inflate or deflate a business’s star rating.”
User’s Experience
According to Yelp’s VP of user operations, Noorie Malik, the company prioritizes its trust and safety. With Yelp’s feature, they can help users create more informed spending decisions regarding their safety. “We advocate for personal expression and provide a platform that encourages people to share their experience online.”
Additionally, Malik emphasized that Yelp’s policy had always remained regarding reviews that must be based from first-hand accounts. The VP also noted that they need to do that to mitigate fake reviews. Also, it maintains the integrity of content on Yelp.