GlassDoor is a Yelp-like forum on the topic of what it’s like to work at employers, and a much-used tool for those checking on the job market. Now California law firm Layfield & Barrett and its attorney Philip Layfield have filed a suit seeking to unmask John Does who posted a dozen disobliging comments, and Layfield’s comments at Above the Law are drawing further attention to the controversy. [Timothy Geigner, TechDirt]
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It’s apparent Mr Philip Layfield (formerly Pescin) doesn’t understand the Streisand Effect. Who will lay odds after this event, he will?
These types of situations – including the one involving the business owner who sued a Yelp user (and won) for posting a negative review – are setting an interesting precedent. I think one of the big problems with sites like Yelp and GlassDoor is a lack of true verification. With sites like Amazon, reviews of actual purchases are verified through the user’s account. Yelp cannot necessarily confirm whether a reviewer has truly been a customer of a business, which enables the online witch-hunts we commonly see. Realistically, someone with an active yelp account can take out their frustrations on a business even if it’s unwarranted. And that in turn can seriously hurt the business.