<s>
Yelp	B-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
is	O
an	O
American	O
company	O
that	O
develops	O
the	O
Yelp.com	B-Application
website	O
and	O
the	O
Yelp	B-Application
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
,	O
which	O
publish	O
crowd-sourced	O
reviews	O
about	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
operates	O
Yelp	B-Application
Guest	O
Manager	O
,	O
a	O
table	O
reservation	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2004	O
by	O
former	O
PayPal	O
employees	O
Russel	O
Simmons	O
and	O
Jeremy	O
Stoppelman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
grew	O
in	O
usage	O
and	O
raised	O
several	O
rounds	O
of	O
funding	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2009	O
to	O
2012	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
expanded	O
throughout	O
Europe	O
and	O
Asia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
it	O
entered	O
unsuccessful	O
negotiations	O
to	O
be	O
acquired	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
became	O
a	O
public	O
company	O
via	O
an	O
initial	O
public	O
offering	O
in	O
March	O
2012	O
and	O
became	O
profitable	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
two	O
years	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
former	O
PayPal	O
employees	O
,	O
Jeremy	O
Stoppelman	O
and	O
Russel	O
Simmons	O
,	O
founded	O
Yelp	B-Application
at	O
a	O
business	O
incubator	O
,	O
MRL	O
Ventures	O
,	O
in	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stoppelman	O
and	O
Simmons	O
conceived	O
the	O
initial	O
idea	O
for	O
Yelp	B-Application
as	O
an	O
email-based	O
referral	O
network	O
,	O
after	O
Stoppelman	O
caught	O
the	O
flu	O
and	O
had	O
a	O
difficult	O
time	O
finding	O
an	O
online	O
recommendation	O
for	O
a	O
local	O
doctor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MRL	O
co-founder	O
David	O
Galbraith	O
,	O
who	O
instigated	O
the	O
local	O
services	O
project	O
based	O
on	O
user	O
reviews	O
,	O
came	O
up	O
with	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
Yelp	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stoppelman	O
explained	O
that	O
they	O
decided	O
on	O
"	O
Yelp	B-Application
"	O
for	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
name	O
because	O
"	O
it	O
was	O
short	O
,	O
memorable	O
,	O
easy	O
to	O
spell	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
familiar	O
with	O
'	O
the	O
help	O
 '	O
and	O
'	O
yellow	B-Operating_System
pages	I-Operating_System
 '	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Fortune	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
initial	O
email-based	O
system	O
was	O
"	O
convoluted	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
raised	O
$5	O
million	O
in	O
funding	O
in	O
2005	O
from	O
Bessemer	O
Venture	O
Partners	O
and	O
$10	O
million	O
in	O
November	O
2006	O
from	O
Benchmark	O
Capital	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
grew	O
from	O
6	O
million	O
monthly	O
visitors	O
in	O
2007	O
to	O
16.5	O
million	O
in	O
2008	O
and	O
from	O
12	O
to	O
24	O
cities	O
during	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2010	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
revenues	O
were	O
estimated	O
to	O
be	O
$30	O
million	O
and	O
it	O
employed	O
300	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
site	O
for	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
in	O
January	O
2009	O
and	O
one	O
for	O
Canada	O
that	O
August	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
non-English	O
Yelp	B-Application
site	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
France	O
in	O
2010	O
;	O
users	O
had	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
read	O
and	O
write	O
content	O
in	O
French	O
or	O
English	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2010	O
to	O
2011	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
launched	O
several	O
more	O
sites	O
,	O
in	O
Austria	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
Spain	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Netherlands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
had	O
a	O
presence	O
in	O
20	O
countries	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2012	O
,	O
including	O
Turkey	O
and	O
Denmark	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
first	O
site	O
in	O
Asia	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
September	O
2012	O
in	O
Singapore	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Japan	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2009	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
entered	O
into	O
negotiations	O
with	O
Yelp	B-Application
to	O
acquire	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
two	O
parties	O
failed	O
to	O
reach	O
an	O
agreement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
offered	O
about	O
$500	O
million	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
deal	O
fell	O
through	O
after	O
Yahoo	B-Application
offered	O
$1	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TechCrunch	O
reported	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
refused	O
to	O
match	O
Yahoo	B-Application
's	O
offer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
offers	O
were	O
later	O
abandoned	O
following	O
a	O
disagreement	O
between	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
management	O
and	O
board	O
of	O
directors	O
about	O
the	O
offers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2015	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
published	O
a	O
study	O
alleging	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
altering	O
search	O
results	O
to	O
benefit	O
its	O
own	O
online	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
began	O
a	O
service	O
called	O
Yelp	B-Application
Deals	O
in	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
August	O
it	O
cut	O
back	O
on	O
Deals	O
due	O
to	O
increased	O
competition	O
and	O
market	O
saturation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
September	O
,	O
the	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
investigated	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
allegations	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
using	O
Yelp	B-Application
web	O
content	O
without	O
authorization	O
and	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
search	B-Application
algorithms	I-Application
favored	O
Google	B-Application
Places	I-Application
over	O
similar	O
services	O
provided	O
by	O
Yelp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
January	O
2014	O
agreement	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
not	O
subject	O
to	O
anti-trust	O
litigation	O
from	O
the	O
FTC	O
,	O
but	O
did	O
have	O
to	O
allow	O
services	O
like	O
Yelp	B-Application
the	O
ability	O
to	O
opt	O
out	O
of	O
having	O
their	O
data	O
scraped	O
and	O
used	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
filed	O
for	O
an	O
initial	O
public	O
offering	O
(	O
IPO	O
)	O
with	O
the	O
Securities	O
Exchange	O
Commission	O
in	O
November	O
2011	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
stock	O
began	O
public	O
trading	O
on	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Stock	O
Exchange	O
on	O
March	O
2	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
acquired	O
its	O
largest	O
European	O
rival	O
,	O
Qype	O
,	O
for	O
$50	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
acquired	O
start-up	O
online	O
reservation	O
company	O
SeatMe	B-Application
for	O
$12.7	O
million	O
in	O
cash	O
and	O
stock	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
second	O
quarter	O
2013	O
revenue	O
of	O
$55	O
million	O
"	O
exceeded	O
expectations	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
not	O
yet	O
profitable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012/13	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
moved	O
into	O
its	O
new	O
corporate	O
headquarters	O
,	O
occupying	O
about	O
150,000	O
square	O
feet	O
on	O
12	O
floors	O
of	O
140	O
New	O
Montgomery	O
(	O
the	O
former	O
PacBell	O
building	O
)	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
profitable	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
quarter	O
of	O
2014	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
increasing	O
ad	O
spending	O
by	O
business	O
owners	O
and	O
possibly	O
from	O
changes	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
local	B-Application
search	I-Application
algorithm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
dubbed	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Pigeon	I-Application
,	O
which	O
helped	O
authoritative	O
local	O
directory	O
sites	O
like	O
Yelp	B-Application
and	O
TripAdvisor	O
,	O
in	O
getting	O
more	O
visibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
websites	O
were	O
launched	O
in	O
Mexico	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
Argentina	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
expanded	O
in	O
Europe	O
through	O
the	O
acquisitions	O
of	O
German-based	O
restaurant	O
review	O
site	O
Restaurant-Kritik	O
and	O
French-based	O
CityVox	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
February	O
2015	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
was	O
buying	O
Eat24	O
,	O
an	O
online	O
food-ordering	O
service	O
,	O
for	O
$134	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then	O
in	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
sold	O
Eat24	O
to	O
Grubhub	O
for	O
$287.5	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
acquisition	O
resulted	O
in	O
a	O
partnership	O
to	O
integrate	O
Grubhub	O
delivery	O
into	O
the	O
Yelp	B-Application
profiles	O
of	O
restaurants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2015	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
Public	O
Services	O
&	O
Government	O
"	O
section	O
was	O
introduced	O
to	O
Yelp	B-Application
and	O
the	O
General	O
Services	O
Administration	O
began	O
encouraging	O
government	O
agencies	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
monitor	O
official	O
government	O
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
Transportation	O
Security	O
Administration	O
created	O
official	O
TSA	O
Yelp	B-Application
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
year	O
Yelp	B-Application
began	O
experimenting	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
with	O
consumer	O
alerts	O
that	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
pages	O
about	O
restaurants	O
with	O
poor	O
hygiene	O
scores	O
in	O
government	O
inspections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Research	O
conducted	O
by	O
the	O
Boston	O
Children	O
's	O
Hospital	O
found	O
that	O
Yelp	B-Application
reviews	I-Application
with	O
keywords	O
associated	O
with	O
food	O
poisoning	O
correlates	O
strongly	O
with	O
poor	O
hygiene	O
at	O
the	O
restaurant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Researchers	O
at	O
Columbia	O
University	O
used	O
data	O
from	O
Yelp	B-Application
to	O
identify	O
three	O
previously	O
unreported	O
restaurant-related	O
food	O
poisoning	O
outbreaks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
2	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
concurrent	O
with	O
its	O
earnings	O
report	O
for	O
Q3	O
2016	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
would	O
drastically	O
scale	O
back	O
its	O
operations	O
outside	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
halt	O
international	O
expansion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
termination	O
of	O
essentially	O
all	O
international	O
employees	O
across	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
30+	O
international	O
markets	O
from	O
the	O
sales	O
,	O
marketing	O
,	O
public	O
relations	O
,	O
business	O
outreach	O
,	O
and	O
government	O
relations	O
departments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
acquired	O
restaurant	O
reservation	O
app	O
Nowait	O
for	O
$40	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
acquired	O
Wi-Fi	O
marketing	O
company	O
Turnstyle	O
Analytics	O
for	O
$20	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2020	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
listed	O
space	O
at	O
55	O
Hawthorne	O
Street	O
,	O
San	O
Francisco	O
,	O
for	O
235	O
employees	O
as	O
available	O
for	O
sublease	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
closures	O
and	O
stay-at-home	O
orders	O
during	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
caused	O
a	O
massive	O
decline	O
in	O
searches	O
on	O
Yelp	B-Application
(	O
down	O
64	O
–	O
83%	O
from	O
March	O
to	O
April	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
category	O
)	O
and	O
company	O
revenues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
relocating	O
its	O
corporate	O
headquarters	O
to	O
a	O
smaller	O
space	O
at	O
350	O
Mission	O
Street	O
to	O
be	O
subleased	O
from	O
Salesforce	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
downsize	O
its	O
office	O
in	O
Phoenix	O
and	O
close	O
three	O
of	O
its	O
main	O
offices	O
in	O
Chicago	O
,	O
New	O
York	O
,	O
and	O
Washington	O
DC	O
and	O
switch	O
to	O
remote	O
work	O
models	O
in	O
these	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
website	O
,	O
Yelp.com,	O
is	O
a	O
crowd-sourced	O
local	O
business	O
review	O
and	O
social	O
networking	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
has	O
pages	O
devoted	O
to	O
individual	O
locations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
restaurants	O
or	O
schools	O
,	O
where	O
Yelp	B-Application
users	O
can	O
submit	O
a	O
review	O
of	O
their	O
products	O
or	O
services	O
using	O
a	O
one	O
to	O
five	O
star	O
rating	O
scale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
72%	O
of	O
Yelp	B-Application
searches	O
are	O
done	O
from	O
a	O
mobile	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Yelp	B-Application
iPhone	B-Device
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
December	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2009	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
released	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
app	O
with	O
a	O
hidden	O
Easter	O
Egg	O
augmented	O
reality	O
feature	O
called	O
Monocle	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
users	O
looking	O
through	O
their	O
iPhone	B-Device
camera	O
to	O
see	O
Yelp	B-Application
data	O
on	O
businesses	O
seen	O
through	O
the	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
users	O
can	O
make	O
restaurant	O
reservations	O
in	O
Yelp	B-Application
through	O
Yelp	B-Application
Reservations	I-Application
,	O
a	O
feature	O
originally	O
added	O
in	O
June	O
2010	O
;	O
in	O
2021	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
consolidated	O
with	O
others	O
into	O
"	O
Yelp	B-Application
Guest	O
Manager	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
reservation	O
features	O
have	O
been	O
done	O
through	O
SeatMe	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Yelp	B-Application
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
that	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
had	O
offered	O
reservation	O
services	O
through	O
OpenTable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
features	O
to	O
have	O
food	O
ordered	O
and	O
delivered	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
Yelp	B-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
view	O
hygiene	O
inspection	O
scores	O
and	O
make	O
appointments	O
at	O
spas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
content	O
was	O
integrated	O
into	O
Apple	O
Inc.	O
'	O
s	O
Siri	B-Application
"	O
virtual	B-Protocol
assistant	I-Protocol
"	O
and	O
the	O
mapping	O
and	O
directions	O
app	O
of	O
Apple	O
's	O
September	O
2012	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
6	I-Operating_System
computer	O
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2014	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
added	O
features	O
for	O
ordering	O
and	O
scheduling	O
manicures	O
,	O
flower	O
deliveries	O
,	O
golf	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
legal	O
consultations	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
working	O
in	O
collaboration	O
with	O
hotel	O
search	O
site	O
Hipmunk	O
,	O
added	O
features	O
to	O
book	O
hotels	O
through	O
Yelp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
started	O
a	O
7	O
–	O
10%	O
cash	O
back	O
program	O
at	O
some	O
US	O
restaurants	O
in	O
2016	O
through	O
partnership	O
with	O
Empyr	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
that	O
links	O
credit	O
card	O
purchases	O
to	O
online	O
advertising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
14	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
launched	O
Yelp	B-Application
Questions	O
and	O
Answers	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
ask	O
venue-specific	O
questions	O
about	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
COVID-19	O
section	O
which	O
enables	O
businesses	O
to	O
update	O
their	O
health	O
and	O
safety	O
measures	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
their	O
service	O
offering	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
provide	O
detailed	O
feedback	O
regarding	O
what	O
health	O
and	O
safety	O
measures	O
the	O
business	O
has	O
implemented	O
through	O
editing	O
in	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
section	O
on	O
Yelp	B-Application
business	O
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
added	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
business	O
owners	O
to	O
respond	O
to	O
reviews	O
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
users	O
that	O
had	O
a	O
bad	O
experience	O
have	O
updated	O
their	O
reviews	O
more	O
favorably	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
businesses	O
 '	O
efforts	O
to	O
resolve	O
their	O
complaints	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
has	O
led	O
to	O
criticisms	O
that	O
business	O
owners	O
can	O
bribe	O
reviewers	O
with	O
free	O
food	O
or	O
discounts	O
to	O
increase	O
their	O
rating	O
,	O
though	O
Yelp	B-Application
users	O
say	O
this	O
rarely	O
occurs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Businesses	O
can	O
also	O
offer	O
discounts	O
to	O
Yelp	B-Application
users	O
that	O
visit	O
often	O
using	O
a	O
Yelp	B-Application
"	O
check	O
in	O
"	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
released	O
an	O
app	O
for	O
business	O
owners	O
to	O
respond	O
to	O
reviews	O
and	O
manage	O
their	O
profiles	O
from	O
a	O
mobile	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
owners	O
can	O
also	O
flag	O
a	O
review	O
to	O
be	O
removed	O
,	O
if	O
the	O
review	O
violates	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
content	O
guidelines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
revenues	O
primarily	O
come	O
from	O
selling	O
ads	O
and	O
sponsored	O
listings	O
to	O
small	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
will	O
only	O
allow	O
businesses	O
with	O
at	O
least	O
a	O
three-star	O
rating	O
to	O
sign	O
up	O
for	O
advertising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
a	O
sponsored	O
"	O
favorite	O
review	O
"	O
could	O
place	O
a	O
positive	O
review	O
above	O
negative	O
ones	O
,	O
but	O
Yelp	B-Application
stopped	O
offering	O
this	O
option	O
in	O
2010	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
deter	O
the	O
valid	O
criticism	O
that	O
advertisers	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
obtain	O
a	O
more	O
positive	O
review	O
appearance	O
in	O
exchange	O
for	O
pay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
5	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
tool	O
to	O
allow	O
businesses	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
to	O
identify	O
themselves	O
as	O
black-owned	O
,	O
allowing	O
customers	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
black-owned	O
businesses	O
they	O
want	O
to	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
more	O
than	O
2.5	O
million	O
searches	O
for	O
black-owned	O
businesses	O
on	O
Yelp	B-Application
from	O
May	O
25	O
to	O
July	O
10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2021	O
Yelp	B-Application
added	O
a	O
feature	O
to	O
let	O
users	O
filter	O
businesses	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
COVID	O
precautions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Harvard	O
Business	O
School	O
study	O
published	O
in	O
2011	O
found	O
that	O
each	O
"	O
star	O
"	O
in	O
a	O
Yelp	B-Application
rating	O
affected	O
the	O
business	O
owner	O
's	O
sales	O
by	O
5	O
–	O
9%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2012	O
study	O
by	O
two	O
University	O
of	O
California	O
,	O
Berkeley	O
economists	O
found	O
that	O
an	O
increase	O
from	O
3.5	O
to	O
4	O
stars	O
on	O
Yelp	B-Application
resulted	O
in	O
a	O
19%	O
increase	O
in	O
the	O
chances	O
of	O
the	O
restaurant	O
being	O
booked	O
during	O
peak	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
has	O
a	O
complicated	O
relationship	O
with	O
small	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Criticism	O
of	O
Yelp	B-Application
continues	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
legitimacy	O
of	O
reviews	O
,	O
public	O
statements	O
of	O
Yelp	B-Application
manipulating	O
and	O
blocking	O
reviews	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
increase	O
ad	O
spending	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
concerns	O
regarding	O
the	O
privacy	O
of	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Yelp	B-Application
became	O
more	O
influential	O
,	O
the	O
phenomenon	O
of	O
business	O
owners	O
and	O
competitors	O
writing	O
fake	O
reviews	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
astroturfing	O
"	O
,	O
became	O
more	O
prevalent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
own	O
review	O
filter	O
identifies	O
25%	O
of	O
reviews	O
as	O
suspicious	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
has	O
a	O
proprietary	O
algorithm	O
that	O
attempts	O
to	O
evaluate	O
whether	O
a	O
review	O
is	O
authentic	O
and	O
filters	O
out	O
reviews	O
that	O
it	O
believes	O
are	O
not	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
patron	O
's	O
actual	O
personal	O
experiences	O
,	O
as	O
required	O
by	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
Terms	O
of	O
Use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
York	O
Attorney	O
General	O
Eric	O
T	O
.	O
Schneiderman	O
said	O
Yelp	B-Application
has	O
"	O
the	O
most	O
aggressive	O
"	O
astroturfing	O
filter	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
crowd-sourced	O
websites	O
it	O
looked	O
into	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
has	O
also	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
not	O
disclosing	O
how	O
the	O
filter	O
works	O
,	O
which	O
it	O
says	O
would	O
reveal	O
information	O
on	O
how	O
to	O
defeat	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
also	O
conducts	O
"	O
sting	O
operations	O
"	O
to	O
uncover	O
businesses	O
writing	O
their	O
own	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2012	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
placed	O
a	O
90-day	O
"	O
consumer	O
alert	O
"	O
on	O
150	O
business	O
listings	O
believed	O
to	O
have	O
paid	O
for	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
BuyYelpReview/AdBlaze	O
for	O
allegedly	O
writing	O
fake	O
reviews	O
for	O
pay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
sued	O
a	O
lawyer	O
it	O
alleged	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
law	O
firms	O
that	O
exchanged	O
Yelp	B-Application
reviews	I-Application
,	O
saying	O
that	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
firm	O
's	O
reviews	O
originated	O
from	O
their	O
own	O
office	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lawyer	O
said	O
Yelp	B-Application
was	O
trying	O
to	O
get	O
revenge	O
for	O
his	O
legal	O
disputes	O
and	O
activism	O
against	O
Yelp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
cooperated	O
with	O
Operation	O
Clean	O
Turf	O
,	O
a	O
sting	O
operation	O
by	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Attorney	O
General	O
that	O
uncovered	O
19	O
astroturfing	O
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
Norfolk	O
,	O
Massachusetts	O
,	O
jury	O
awarded	O
a	O
jewelry	O
store	O
over	O
$	O
34,000	O
after	O
it	O
determined	O
that	O
its	O
competitor	O
's	O
employee	O
had	O
filed	O
a	O
false	O
negative	O
Yelp	B-Application
review	I-Application
that	O
knowingly	O
caused	O
emotional	O
distress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
won	O
a	O
court	O
case	O
that	O
challenged	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
explanation	O
of	O
how	O
its	O
review	O
recommendation	O
software	O
worked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
court	O
ruling	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
None	O
of	O
the	O
evidence	O
presented	O
at	O
the	O
trial	O
showed	O
anything	O
nefarious	O
or	O
duplicitous	O
on	O
the	O
part	O
of	O
Yelp	B-Application
in	O
connection	O
with	O
the	O
assertions	O
made	O
in	O
the	O
Challenged	O
Statements.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
court	O
cases	O
that	O
ruled	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Yelp	B-Application
over	O
the	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
has	O
a	O
complicated	O
relationship	O
with	O
small	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
have	O
been	O
allegations	O
that	O
Yelp	B-Application
has	O
manipulated	O
reviews	O
based	O
on	O
participation	O
in	O
its	O
advertising	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
business	O
owners	O
have	O
said	O
that	O
Yelp	B-Application
salespeople	O
have	O
offered	O
to	O
remove	O
or	O
suppress	O
negative	O
reviews	O
if	O
they	O
purchase	O
advertising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
report	O
seeing	O
negative	O
reviews	O
featured	O
prominently	O
and	O
positive	O
reviews	O
buried	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
soon	O
afterwards	O
,	O
they	O
would	O
receive	O
calls	O
from	O
Yelp	B-Application
attempting	O
to	O
sell	O
paid	O
advertising	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
staff	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
allowed	O
their	O
advertising	O
partners	O
to	O
move	O
their	O
favorite	O
review	O
to	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
listings	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
featured	O
review	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
said	O
the	O
reviews	O
were	O
not	O
otherwise	O
manipulated	O
to	O
favor	O
the	O
partner	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
featured	O
reviews	O
were	O
shown	O
with	O
a	O
strip	O
above	O
them	O
that	O
said	O
"	O
One	O
of	O
[	O
Insert	O
Business	O
Here ]'s	O
Favorite	O
Reviews	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
This	O
business	O
is	O
a	O
Yelp	B-Application
sponsor.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
criticism	O
of	O
their	O
allowing	O
their	O
advertising	O
partners	O
to	O
manipulate	O
the	O
review	O
listing	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
ceased	O
its	O
"	O
featured	O
review	O
"	O
practice	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
lawsuits	O
have	O
been	O
filed	O
against	O
Yelp	B-Application
accusing	O
it	O
of	O
extorting	O
businesses	O
into	O
buying	O
advertising	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
a	O
class-action	O
lawsuit	O
was	O
filed	O
against	O
Yelp	B-Application
alleging	O
it	O
asked	O
a	O
Long	O
Beach	O
veterinary	O
hospital	O
to	O
pay	O
$300	O
a	O
month	O
for	O
advertising	O
services	O
that	O
included	O
the	O
suppression	O
or	O
deletion	O
of	O
disparaging	O
customer	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chen	O
said	O
the	O
reviews	O
were	O
protected	O
by	O
the	O
Communications	O
Decency	O
Act	O
of	O
1996	O
and	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
evidence	O
of	O
manipulation	O
by	O
Yelp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Court	O
of	O
Appeals	O
for	O
the	O
Ninth	O
Circuit	O
upheld	O
the	O
dismissal	O
,	O
finding	O
that	O
even	O
if	O
Yelp	B-Application
did	O
manipulate	O
reviews	O
to	O
favor	O
advertisers	O
,	O
this	O
would	O
not	O
fall	O
under	O
the	O
court	O
's	O
legal	O
definition	O
of	O
extortion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
town	O
hall	O
style	O
meetings	O
in	O
22	O
major	O
American	O
cities	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
address	O
concerns	O
among	O
local	O
business	O
owners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
attendees	O
expressed	O
frustration	O
with	O
seeing	O
Yelp	B-Application
remove	O
positive	O
reviews	O
after	O
they	O
declined	O
to	O
advertise	O
,	O
receiving	O
reviews	O
from	O
users	O
that	O
never	O
entered	O
the	O
establishment	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2011	O
"	O
working	O
paper	O
"	O
published	O
by	O
Harvard	O
Business	O
School	O
from	O
Harvard	O
Associate	O
Professor	O
Michael	O
Luca	O
and	O
Georgios	O
Zervas	O
of	O
Boston	O
University	O
found	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
significant	O
statistical	O
correlation	O
between	O
being	O
a	O
Yelp	B-Application
advertiser	O
and	O
having	O
more	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
received	O
2,046	O
complaints	O
about	O
Yelp	B-Application
from	O
2008	O
to	O
2014	O
,	O
most	O
from	O
small	O
businesses	O
regarding	O
allegedly	O
unfair	O
or	O
fake	O
reviews	O
or	O
negative	O
reviews	O
that	O
appear	O
after	O
declining	O
to	O
advertise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Yelp	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
finished	O
a	O
second	O
examination	O
of	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
practices	O
in	O
2015	O
and	O
in	O
both	O
cases	O
did	O
not	O
pursue	O
an	O
action	O
against	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Journalist	O
David	O
Lazarus	O
of	O
the	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
Times	O
also	O
criticized	O
Yelp	B-Application
in	O
2014	O
for	O
the	O
practice	O
of	O
selling	O
competitors	O
 '	O
ads	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
business	O
listings	O
and	O
then	O
offering	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
ads	O
removed	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
paid	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
San	O
Francisco	O
filmmaker	O
Kaylie	O
Milliken	O
was	O
reportedly	O
producing	O
a	O
documentary	O
film	O
titled	O
Billion	O
Dollar	O
Bully	O
about	O
Yelp	B-Application
's	O
alleged	O
business	O
practices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
Hassell	O
v	O
.	O
Bird	O
,	O
the	O
California	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
held	O
by	O
a	O
narrow	O
4-3	O
margin	O
that	O
a	O
business	O
cannot	O
force	O
Yelp	B-Application
to	O
remove	O
a	O
review	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
review	O
is	O
defamatory	O
of	O
the	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2019	O
investigation	O
by	O
Vice	O
News	O
and	O
the	O
podcast	O
Underunderstood	O
found	O
that	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
was	O
replacing	O
restaurant	O
's	O
direct	O
phone	O
numbers	O
with	O
numbers	O
that	O
routed	O
through	O
GrubHub	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
then	O
charge	O
restaurants	O
for	O
the	O
calls	O
under	O
marketing	O
agreements	O
GrubHub	O
has	O
with	O
restaurants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
article	O
found	O
that	O
in	O
some	O
instances	O
,	O
the	O
Yelp	B-Application
review	I-Application
area	O
for	O
a	O
business	O
has	O
become	O
flooded	O
with	O
such	O
review	O
submissions	O
after	O
a	O
business	O
was	O
involved	O
in	O
politically	O
sensitive	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
has	O
removed	O
reviews	O
of	O
this	O
nature	O
and	O
has	O
tried	O
to	O
suppress	O
their	O
submission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
data	O
compiled	O
in	O
2014	O
by	O
the	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
receives	O
about	O
six	O
subpoenas	O
a	O
month	O
asking	O
for	O
the	O
names	O
of	O
anonymous	O
reviewers	O
,	O
mostly	O
from	O
business	O
owners	O
seeking	O
litigation	O
against	O
those	O
writing	O
negative	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
Alexandria	O
Circuit	O
Court	O
and	O
the	O
Virginia	O
Court	O
of	O
Appeals	O
held	O
Yelp	B-Application
in	O
contempt	O
for	O
refusing	O
to	O
disclose	O
the	O
identities	O
of	O
seven	O
reviewers	O
who	O
anonymously	O
criticized	O
a	O
carpet-cleaning	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
appealed	O
to	O
the	O
Virginia	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
popular	O
public	O
argument	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Yelp	B-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
was	O
that	O
a	O
ruling	O
against	O
Yelp	B-Application
would	O
negatively	O
affect	O
free	O
speech	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Virginia	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
ruled	O
that	O
Yelp	B-Application
,	O
a	O
non-resident	O
company	O
in	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
Virginia	O
,	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
subpoenaed	O
by	O
a	O
lower	O
court	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2020	O
Business	O
Insider	O
Investigation	O
questioned	O
the	O
culture	O
,	O
ethics	O
and	O
practices	O
within	O
Yelp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
The	O
Discourse	O
of	O
Online	O
Consumer	O
Reviews	O
many	O
Yelp	B-Application
reviewers	O
are	O
internet-savvy	O
adults	O
aged	O
18	O
–	O
25	O
or	O
"	O
suburban	O
baby	O
boomers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
year	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
Yelp	B-Application
community	O
are	O
invited	O
or	O
self-nominated	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
Yelp	B-Application
Elite	O
Squad	O
"	O
and	O
some	O
are	O
accepted	O
based	O
on	O
an	O
evaluation	O
of	O
the	O
quality	O
and	O
frequency	O
of	O
their	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
must	O
use	O
their	O
real	O
name	O
and	O
photo	O
on	O
Yelp	B-Application
to	O
qualify	O
for	O
the	O
Elite	O
Squad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
does	O
not	O
disclose	O
how	O
the	O
Yelp	B-Application
Elite	O
are	O
selected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Yelp	B-Application
Elite	O
Squad	O
originated	O
with	O
parties	O
Yelp	B-Application
began	O
throwing	O
for	O
members	O
in	O
2005	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
2006	O
it	O
was	O
formally	O
codified	O
;	O
the	O
name	O
came	O
from	O
a	O
joking	O
reference	O
to	O
prolific	O
reviewers	O
that	O
were	O
invited	O
to	O
Yelp	B-Application
parties	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Yelp	B-Application
Elite	O
Squad	O
"	O
.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
Yelp	B-Application
employed	O
a	O
staff	O
of	O
over	O
80	O
community	O
managers	O
that	O
organize	O
parties	O
for	O
prolific	O
reviewers	O
,	O
send	O
encouraging	O
messages	O
to	O
reviewers	O
,	O
and	O
host	O
classes	O
for	O
small	O
business	O
owners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yelp	B-Application
reviewers	O
are	O
not	O
required	O
to	O
disclose	O
their	O
identity	O
,	O
but	O
Yelp	B-Application
encourages	O
them	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
