Yelp removed 2,000 fake reviews linked to anti-Trump activity last year
Separately, at least 1,100 fake reviews were posted in fans' attempts to defend celebrities.
Yelp's report shows how it cracked down on fake reviews in 2019.
Yelp on Tuesday released its first Consumer Alerts Report, revealing how the crowd-sourced review site dealt with fakes in 2019. More than 2,000 reviews for businesses linked to the Trump administration officials were removed.
After President Donald Trump suggested that he might hold the 2020 G7 Summit at Trump National Doral Miami, Yelp said, reviewers who'd never stayed at the resort claimed it had bedbugs. Yelp also highlighted how hotelier and then-Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland's impeachment testimony drew fake reviews on 21 pages linked to his businesses.
Yelp also dealt with over 1,100 reviews from fans trying to defend their favorite celebrities. A restaurant owner, for example, got bad reviews from fans of Korean pop group BTS after suggesting that BTS isn't as good as rival band Big Bang.
The company shut down around 550 accounts associated with a single vast review ring that it uncovered. Yelp also posted consumer alerts on more than 580 business pages after realizing that too many positive reviews were coming from the same IP address.