Senate Passes Bill Barring Companies From Blocking Negative Reviews

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A ban on “non-disparagement” clauses is one step closer to becoming law. The Consumer Review Freedom Act was unanimously passed yesterday by the United States Senate.

If passed by the full Congress, the Consumer Review Freedom Act would give the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general the authority to take enforcement action against businesses that attempt to these ethically questionable clauses to quiet consumers.
 
Shame we actually need a law for something like this.
 
Will this block companies from removing negative reviews from their Facebook accounts?
 
This is an enumerated power the federal government has? Well smack my ass and call me Sally.
 
This is great because I hardly ever see bad reviews for popular products, just wish that politicians won't accept bribes to keep this from passing so I can see the "Darkside" of Consumer Reviews.
 
great to see. only problem i see is enforcing it with companies outside of the US, but hey this is a good step in the right direction. it'll help.
 
Pretty ballsy for a crew that likes to write bills in secret committees and then pass them before anyone can read them.
 
There is a bit of a loophole. Say you write a bad review and you use some bad language, etc, in your review, this document sets aside the provider's rights to remove a review that is, let's say in bad taste. So if you say they suck in a foul manner, the hosting site can take it down.

Also, this only pertains to instances related to interstate commerce, as that is a limitation of the federal government. So if the business is a local shop and you post a negative review on their website or on a local site, as I read it, no bueno, this will not protect you.
 
roma said:
Pretty ballsy for a crew that likes to write bills in secret committees and then pass them before anyone can read them.
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They didn't even debate it. It showed up and they just voted and passed it without any discussion.
 
Smashing Young Man said:
This is an enumerated power the federal government has? Well smack my ass and call me Sally.
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As such clauses involve interstate and international commerce... yes Sally. Bend over.

Beyond that, non-disparagement clauses are a form of prior restraint and are just as unenforceable as a slavery contract would be. If they were enforceable you couldn't even bring up an issue with a company in court without being hit with whatever penalties they've invented. The courts have found that to be a violation of your first amendment right to seek government redress for grievances.
 
Does this stop customers from creating false reviews and bombing yelp pages with fake stories? Ball rolls both ways... be interesting who fucks who first with loopholes ;)
 
roma said:
Pretty ballsy for a crew that likes to write bills in secret committees and then pass them before anyone can read them.
Click to expand...

That was under Harry Reed and the Democrats, they no longer control the Senate (in theory).
 
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