Should our opinions and ratings of businesses be banned from the public? Lets look at Yelp and TripAdvisor. Governor Brown of California recently signed off on a so-called anti-disparagement clause.

Businesses, such as these, are including these “forfeiting your rights” clauses in their contracts and having their customers sign off on them to squash bad reviews. They have even implemented clauses posing penalties for public airing of grievances should the customer file a complaint. Thankfully, California law will impose a fine of $10,000 on any business that issues contracts with such a clause thus protecting our freedom as consumers.