Yelp Files New EU Complaint Against Google Over Search Dominance (ft.com)

Yelp has filed a complaint with the EU's antitrust watchdog against Google, arguing that the search company has abused its dominance in local search and pressuring Brussels to launch new charges against the tech giant, Financial Times reported Tuesday. From the report: European antitrust authorities fined Google $2.8B in June 2017 for favouring its own shopping service over rival offerings in its search results. Google denied wrongdoing and has appealed that decision. Now Yelp, which provides user ratings, reviews and other information about local businesses, wants Margrethe Vestager, the EU Competition Commissioner, to take action against Google for similar alleged abuse in the local search market, according to a copy of the complaint seen by the Financial Times. The move comes days after Yelp founder Jeremy Stopplelman appeared on 60 Minutes to talk about Google's search monopoly. Here's the exchange he had with reporter Steve Kroft: Jeremy Stoppelman: If I were starting out today, I would have no shot of building Yelp. That opportunity has been closed off by Google and their approach.
Steve Kroft: In what way?
Jeremy Stoppelman: Because if you provide great content in one of these categories that is lucrative to Google, and seen as potentially threatening, they will snuff you out.
Steve Kroft: What do you mean snuff you out?
Jeremy Stoppelman: They will make you disappear. They will bury you.

Comments

Screw Yelp

[Anonymous Coward]

It's really ironic that Yelp of all companies is complaining about deceitful practices. Yelp takes down 5-star reviews from actual customers claiming "their algorithm is able to filter out non-relevant reviews". I've had dozens of 5-star reviews taken down from my company's page that I know were from actual customers (who also had multiple reviews with other businesses).

A possible reason for Yelp doing this? Maybe because I've told them numerous times that I did not want to advertise with them.

Re:Screw Yelp

[HornWumpus]

Google really _should_ make Yelp go away. It would be a service to the world.

Absent that, site rating companies should mark them 'deceitful'.

Yelp is a protection racket. Extortion

[raymorris]

Yeah really strange for Yelp to be complaining about anyone's business practices. Yelp is shady asf. Basically they call up businesses and say "if you don't pay up, we're going to post a bunch of fake reviews and damage your business".

I wish Google would show a lot LESS of Yelp, since Yelp is nothing but paid ads fraudulently marketed as reviews. We're I in charge of Google, I probably wouldn't list Yelp, or would significantly de-rank them as a known fraud.

Re:Yelp is a protection racket. Extortion

[b0s0z0ku]

Not only that, but they don't let people view full business reviews on a mobile browser -- they try to force people to download their silly little app.

Forget obnoxious

[rsilvergun]

the entire thing has an air of mafiosa about it. They've been caught numerous times selling their services on the basis of "If you know what's good for you". They're upset because if they can't put a bad review at the top of Google's search results they don't have a business model.