Yelp responded to the letter on Feb. 8 offering an amendment to its policy.
Based in San Francisco, Yelp Inc. is a developer and operator of a website and mobile app that uses crowdsourcing to rate and collect consumer reviews of businesses.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron was the lead signatory of the letter by the attorneys general (AGs).
Cited in the letter was language from a Yelp statement issued last August saying it planned to place “Consumer Notices” on the pages of crisis pregnancy centers explaining that the facilities “typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.” Yelp had also said it would recategorize the centers.
“Together, these benignly labeled ’recategorizations’ and ‘Consumer Notices’ constitute a scheme to discredit crisis pregnancy centers and to discourage women and families from accessing their services. For the following reasons, Yelp should rescind its August announcement immediately and stop discriminating against crisis pregnancy centers.”
The AGs also pointed to what they identify as a double standard.
Yelp Response
Yelp responded to the Attorney Generals in a letter dated Feb. 8, in which it sought to “clear up misconceptions” it felt that AGs held, and also to declare that even as the company “maintains that its notification is not misleading, in a good faith effort to address your concerns, Yelp is taking this opportunity to update its notification.”On Feb. 9, Kentucky Attorney General Cameron issued a statement attesting that Yelp heeded the protestations and demands of the 24 attorney generals.
“Two days ago, I led a coalition of 24 attorneys general in sending a letter urging Yelp to stop discriminating against crisis pregnancy centers by placing misleading consumer notices on their profiles but not\ on Planned Parenthood facility profiles,” said Attorney General Cameron.
“The notices informed consumers that crisis pregnancy centers ’typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.
“Yesterday, Yelp responded to our letter and agreed to remove this misleading statement. The consumer notices on crisis pregnancy profiles now state, ‘This is a Crisis Pregnancy Center. Crisis Pregnancy Centers do not offer abortions or referrals to abortion providers.”
Attorney General Cameron concluded, noting, “This decision moves us one step closer to ensuring women and families have access to accurate information about crisis pregnancy centers and the life-affirming care and support these companies provide.”
