Virginia Court Commands Yelp to Hand Over Anonymous Reviewers

A Virginia Circuit Court has ordered Yelp to hand over the identities of seven anonymous commenters, according to court documents dated Tuesday

The ruling was the result of an appeal by Yelp following a subpoena issued by Hadeed Carpet Cleaning, a small business near Arlington, Va. The subpoena legally requested Yelp identify seven anonymous commenters who left negative reviews for the company

Yelp objected to the subpoena, and the court ruled in favor of Hadeed. The freedom to speak anonymously is protected by the First Amendment, but the court ruled that "defamatory speech is not entitled to constitutional protection." Read more...