California Tells Businesses: Stop Trying To Ban Consumer Reviews

Increasingly, businesses are looking for ways to suppress or erase consumers’ negative online reviews of them. In particular, we’ve recently seen a proliferation of contract clauses purporting to stop consumers from reviewing businesses online.

I recently wrote about a New York hotel’s contract that fined customers $500 if they, or their wedding guests, posted negative online reviews.

Or other businesses, such as KlearGear, have filed negative credit reports against consumers who didn’t pay the fine.