Doing the right thing in one instance of one aspect of "free speech" is not "protecting free speech".
Protecting free speech is about a framework of process, transparency, inclusion, and democracy.
Yelp is not a transparent, inclusive democracy with processes in place to ensure we can each express ourselves freely. It is a business, driven by business decisions, run by business people, for its customer, in the interest of it owners.
I like the strangeness of the situation. If private company does A, it's not about free speech because that's a government thing. If private company does B, look at this company protecting our free speech!
I wish as a society we can make up our minds on this.
The "strangeness" indeed. But making up our mind as a society seems like it would be an unhealthy development.
I believe one reason the U.S. has been so resilient is the combination of schizophrenic like policy and action (caused by three branches of federal government, federal and state split, and 50 separate states) and the pressure/safety-valve mechanism that is our election system.
Add corporations, NGOs, etc into the mix and it all becomes even more schizophrenic. Though, corporations add psychopathic to the mix more than any other of the flavors, given their incessant drive to produce profit for their shareholders.
I think the problem-issue has less to do with strangenes, more to do with honesty. I don't believe we'd allow a person to treat other people and, to the point, make the kind of claims we're talking about, without calling bullsh-t on them. Corporations would make horrible citizens. But they are "persons". So if these persons are not citizens, what are they???
Protecting free speech is about a framework of process, transparency, inclusion, and democracy.
Yelp is not a transparent, inclusive democracy with processes in place to ensure we can each express ourselves freely. It is a business, driven by business decisions, run by business people, for its customer, in the interest of it owners.
Period.