Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) voted for and the House of Representatives approved a bill that would prevent companies from suing customers for leaving true – but negative – online reviews.
The Consumer Review Fairness Act protects Freedom of Speech and comes after a number of consumers have found themselves in court, fighting back multi-million dollar lawsuits for leaving bad reviews of companies’ services on sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor. Congressman Darrell Issa is an original co-sponsor of the legislation.
The Consumer Review Fairness Act is similar to Congressman Issa’sConsumer Review Freedom Act introduced last year.
“The internet was created to be a place where anyone can go to freely and openly share information. But what good is that information really if it’s being cut down and censored by gag orders to screen out anything negative?” asked Congressman Darrell Issa. “The legislation we’ve passed today will ensure the marketplace remains open, honest and transparent by protecting consumers’ right to free speech online.”
The Senate passed legislation similar to the Consumer Review Fairness Act earlier this past December.