Executive Says Yelp Wouldn’t Exist Without CDA 230, Wants Small Business Relief

Without Section 230, frivolous lawsuits would create an insurmountable cost of doing business, and companies like Yelp wouldn’t exist, Senior Vice President-Public Policy Luther Lowe said during an interview with C-SPAN's The Communicators, to have been televised over the weekend. If Google and Facebook didn’t exist, there wouldn’t be such scrutiny on Section 230 of Communications Decency Act, he said. He suggested lawmakers think of other public policy tools to address the abuse of dominance, saying Yelp opposes any “radical approach” to CDA 230: “It is an axiomatic, foundational necessity for the internet as we know it to exist.” Because of COVID-19, all Yelp employees are working remotely, he said, saying the biggest industry impact is on small businesses. Lowe wants more meaningful relief for small businesses in Congress’ relief packages, anticipating a multi-month, devastating impact.