# How to Remove a Ripoff Report: 7 Routes Ranked

> You cannot get a Ripoff Report deleted. Its terms call every post a permanent record, and even the author cannot remove it. What you can change is what people see: a free rebuttal, $2,000 arbitration that redacts false facts, a contested US court order, a Google delisting request, or pages that outrank it for your business name.

- Canonical URL: https://www.pavadotech.com/blog/how-to-remove-a-ripoff-report-about-my-business
- Author: Om Patel
- Published: 2026-09-13
- Topic: GSEO

Ripoff Report will not delete the report about your business. Not for a lawyer's letter, not if the author asks, and not if you prove every word is false.

That is not a guess. Section 5 of its [terms of service](https://www.ripoffreport.com/terms-of-service) says the site is "intended to be a permanent record of disputes, including disputes which have been fully resolved," and that posts "will NOT be removed even at your request," where "you" is the person who wrote them. Section 6 gives the site an exclusive, perpetual license to the content, so the author no longer controls it.

Most pages ranking for this search sell removal or skim past that fact. This one ranks the seven routes that exist by cost, time, and what changes for the homeowner who searches your name. Two cost nothing. One costs $2,000 and redacts rather than removes. One is where forged court orders have turned up by the dozen. And one of the most shared tips, Google's form for sites that charge for removal, does not apply to businesses at all.

- **Deletion is off the table.** Ripoff Report's own terms say posts are permanent, even when the author wants them gone.
- **Arbitration costs $2,000 per report** plus $250 per extra comment, is open only to US-domiciled businesses, and a win redacts false facts while your name stays in the title.
- **Suing Ripoff Report fails in the US.** Section 230 protects it. Sue the author instead, and know that the site ignores default and stipulated judgments.
- **Google delists by country.** An approved defamation request restricts the result where it is found defamatory, and court order requests generally publish your name to the Lumen database.
- **The exploitative removal form excludes you.** Google limits it to content about people on sites that are not business review sites.
- **"Guaranteed removal" has a track record.** Texas won $300,000 against one firm that promised it.
- **Outranking the report is the route that always works.** It is also the one that helps when a homeowner asks an AI engine whether you are legit.

## Why can't Ripoff Report be forced to take it down?

Because in the United States, a federal law makes the site legally a bystander to what its users write. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act says no provider of an interactive computer service "shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

Ripoff Report, run by Xcentric Ventures LLC in Tempe, Arizona, is built around that sentence. Its [legal department page](https://www.ripoffreport.com/legal) lists more than a dozen cases it or similar platforms won, and quotes a 2011 Georgia federal ruling, Herman v. Xcentric Ventures: "every state and federal court that has considered the merits of a claim against the Ripoff Report has, without exception, agreed that [Xcentric is] entitled to immunity under the CDA." It also cites Asia Economic Institute v. Xcentric Ventures (C.D. Cal. 2011) for the holding that its solicitations for its paid advocacy program were not extortion.

The exceptions are narrow. In MCW (2004) and Hy Cite (2005), the site [lost Section 230 motions to dismiss](https://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2006/01/ripoffreportcom_1.htm) because plaintiffs alleged its operators wrote defamatory titles and editorial content themselves. Those were early rulings on allegations, and they do not help when a customer wrote the post.

Repeal bills exist, [S. 3546](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/s3546) since December 2025 and [H.R. 10332](https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr10332ih) since September 10, 2026, but neither has left committee and the House bill builds in a two-year delay.

## Step zero: find out whether anyone actually sees it

Before you spend a dollar, check whether the report reaches customers. A report on page four of your brand search costs you nothing.

Ripoff Report is not the search force it was. Semrush figures published by one removal vendor show its organic traffic [falling from 485,253 in October 2018 to 86,467 a month later](https://guaranteedremovals.com/ripoff-report-removal/). But it still publishes contractor complaints. A search of the site in September 2026 turned up roofing reports alleging deposits of $1,750 (posted August 26, 2026), $5,000 and $17,300, and its [roofing repairs category](https://www.ripoffreport.com/reviews/Home-Garden/roofing-repairs-) is still live.

Run these checks in a private browser window, on desktop and on mobile:

1. **Your business name alone**, then with your city.
2. **Your name plus "reviews", "complaints" and "scam".** These are the searches a homeowner runs after getting your quote.
3. **Google Search Console, Performance report.** Filter queries containing "ripoff". If people are searching your name with "ripoff report", they already found it.
4. **ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode.** Ask "Is [your company] in [your city] legit?" and note which sources get cited.

If the report is not on page one for any of those, leave it alone and build the pages in Route 7 so it stays buried.

## Is the report actually false, or just unflattering?

This decides which route is open to you. Every legal and quasi-legal path, from arbitration to a lawsuit to a Google request, requires provably false statements of fact. Opinion does not qualify.

Ripoff Report's [arbitration rules](https://www.ripoffreport.com/arbitration) say it directly: "because opinions (i.e., he is an awful person) cannot be proven to be either true or false, we do NOT permit arbitration of statements which are purely opinions."

For a contractor, sort each sentence in the report into one of three piles:

| Statement type | Example | Can you challenge it? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Checkable fact | "Took a $5,000 deposit and never started the job" | Yes, with the contract, permit record, material invoices and dated site photos |
| Opinion | "Worst roofer in the county, total rip off" | No |
| Fact that is partly true | "Demanded a huge deposit up front" | Risky. Check it against the deposit law in your state first |

That third row is where contractors get hurt. In California, [Business and Professions Code section 7159](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=7159.&lawCode=BPC) caps a home improvement down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, and bars collecting payment for work not yet done or materials not yet delivered. If you took more, the deposit complaint is not false, and arbitrating it puts your own contract in front of a retired judge.

The evidence that wins these disputes is paperwork you already have: the signed contract, change orders, permit and inspection records, supplier invoices, scheduling texts, payment records, lien releases and timestamped job photos. Gather it before you choose a route.

## Route 1: Get the author to post an update (free)

If the customer is real and the dispute can be settled, this is the best outcome available. The author cannot delete the report, but Ripoff Report's arbitration FAQ confirms they "can write an Update, which is free, to their original Report indicating that the matter has been resolved, that they made a mistake when writing the original Report, etc."

Resolve the job first, then ask. Never make a refund or repair conditional on the update, because that turns a goodwill fix into a transaction the customer can describe in their next post. The limits: it only works with a real customer you can reach, and the original complaint still sits above the update.

## Route 2: Post a free rebuttal

Ripoff Report lets the business respond on the report itself, for free, and attach documents. The site's own argument for this is blunt: "If the evidence is so simple and compelling, then a FREE REBUTTAL should be all that is needed to set the record straight."

Not everyone agrees you should. One removal vendor ranking for this keyword tells owners to [not comment on the report](https://mikemunter.com/delete-ripoff-report-guaranteed-removal/) because "replies inflate page relevance and increase search visibility." No public data settles that, so decide by where the report sits. If it ranks for your name, prospects are already reading it. The owner behind [the top r/smallbusiness thread on this](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/6ar3pt/does_anyone_know_how_to_stop_ripoff_report_from/) said "every prospective client brings up this damn Ripoff Report article." There, silence reads as guilt. If the report is buried, leave it alone.

A contractor rebuttal that works has four parts, and it follows the same logic as [responding to a bad Google review](https://www.pavadotech.com/blog/how-to-respond-to-bad-reviews-contractor): it is written for the next customer, not the author.

1. **One calm line of acknowledgement.**
2. **The checkable facts, with documents.** Contract date, permit number, inspection date, what was paid and delivered. Blank out the customer's signature and home address, which Ripoff Report's terms flag.
3. **What you changed**, such as a new deposit policy.
4. **A real name and phone number.**

Before you register to post, note that Section 2 of the terms bars users from any action that "may impair or negatively affect the visibility or ranking of Ripoff Report pages in search engines." Whether that binds a business outranking a report about itself is a question for a lawyer.

## Route 3: VIP Arbitration ($2,000 per report)

This is Ripoff Report's paid dispute process, and its [program page](https://www.ripoffreport.com/arbitration) is more candid than the vendors who describe it.

| Detail | What Ripoff Report says |
| --- | --- |
| Price | $2,000 per report, plus $250 per comment by a different author |
| Eligibility | You must be "domiciled in the United States" and have a good faith belief the content is false |
| Timeline | About 30 days if the author does not respond, 45 to 60 days or longer if they do |
| What can be arbitrated | Factual statements only, not opinions |
| If you win | Statements found "substantially false" are redacted and replaced with an editorial note and a summary of the decision |
| What stays | "The individual's name and/or company name will remain in the title and a URL to the Report will continue to exist" |
| Search engines | A report found substantially false becomes "eligible for de-indexing efforts," which "in theory" may keep it out of search results |
| Repeat posts | If you win and flag it, the site will address later posts by the same author making similar allegations |

Two details matter. If you believe a competitor wrote the report, you can arbitrate "the role of the author" alone, even when the report is mostly opinion, which makes this the one Ripoff Report tool built for fake reviews. And if the author gave a fake email, they are deemed to have waived participation, but you still have to prove falsity.

One r/freelance user described it as paying to have the site ["just censor the parts you can prove to be false"](https://www.reddit.com/r/freelance/comments/57c51q/how_is_rip_off_report_allowed_to_exist/), adding that some people "have paid and not had a single word removed."

Arbitration is worth it when three things are true: you are US-based, the damaging lines are checkable facts you can disprove with documents, and the report ranks for your name. Missing any one of them, spend the $2,000 on Route 7.

## Route 4: The Corporate Advocacy Program

CAP, Ripoff Report's membership program, does not remove reports either. Per its [how it works page](https://www.ripoffreport.com/corporate-advocacy-program/how-it-works), the site contacts each author, posts updates on your reports stating your side, and promises to change your Google listings "from negative to positive." To [qualify](https://www.ripoffreport.com/corporate-advocacy-program/how-to-qualify), you agree to admit a mistake "even in cases when it wasn't your fault" and resolve complaints "within 7 to 14 business days." The terms add two conditions the sales pages skip: Ripoff Report may disclose authors' identities to CAP members, and members agree "not to sue legitimate complaining customers without prior written consent" of Xcentric.

Pricing is not published. The owner in the r/smallbusiness thread, without naming a program, said Ripoff Report offered to "attempt" removal for $5,000 with no guarantee. A commenter in the r/freelance thread said a $100 million company they worked for was quoted $30,000 per claim across about 20 claims. Those are individual accounts from 2016 and 2017, not a price list.

For a contractor with one or two reports, CAP is hard to justify. It suits a business with a steady flow of complaints that will let Ripoff Report run its complaints desk.

A Ripoff Report only hurts when it is one of the first things a homeowner sees for your name, in Google or in an AI answer. We audit what shows up for your brand searches and which sources the AI engines pull from, then build the pages that should be there instead.

## Route 5: Sue the author, not the website

A defamation claim against the author is available. It is slow, and the payoff on Ripoff Report is smaller than owners expect.

**Step 1: identify the author.** For anonymous posts, Ripoff Report's legal page requires a subpoena issued by an Arizona court or a US federal district court, served on its Arizona statutory agent. You must meet the Mobilisa v. Doe (2007) standard: notice to the author, which can be posted on the report itself, a claim that could survive summary judgment, and a balance of interests favoring disclosure. A compliant subpoena costs a $150 processing fee before records are released.

**Step 2: watch the clock.** Ripoff Report's [Business Name Monitoring page](https://www.ripoffreport.com/business-name-monitoring) warns that "in many states the statute of limitation for bringing a defamation case is one year from the date of the post." Its alert service costs $19.99 a month, US businesses only.

**Step 3: get the right kind of judgment.** This is where most plans fail. Ripoff Report's court order policy will only act on an order that is:

- from a state or federal court in the United States,
- against the author, not against Ripoff Report,
- supported by admissible evidence, including sworn affidavits, that specific statements of fact are false and defamatory.

Even then, it redacts the specific statements, marks them "REDACTED BASED ON FINDINGS VIA COURT ORDER," retitles the report and attaches the judgment. The post stays. And it is explicit about default judgments and stipulated orders: "The answer is 'NO' and such requests will be ignored."

The courts have backed that position. In Blockowicz v. Williams (7th Cir. 2010), a family won a default injunction ordering the authors to remove defamatory posts, and the authors vanished. The court held Ripoff Report [was not bound by the injunction](https://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2010/12/ripoff_report_d.htm) because simply leaving the posts up did not make it an aider and abettor.

**What it costs.** Estimates vary and none are audited. One Reddit user who said they had seen companies win with a lawyer put it at "like 10k" in one thread and "around 12k" in another. A removal vendor's page puts legal removal at $40,000 to $70,000 over six months to two years.

The real prize of a lawsuit is not the redaction on Ripoff Report. It is a judgment you can take to Google.

## Route 6: Take the judgment to Google

Google can drop the report from its results while it stays on Ripoff Report, which for a local contractor is most of the win. Google's [defamation overview](https://support.google.com/legal-help-center/answer/16833565) says requests can come from "the person or business being defamed," and asks for the exact URLs, how the content is about you, why the statements are false, and how they harm your reputation. A court judgment is what makes that case clear and well supported. Three details matter:

**Removal is by country.** Google says "we will restrict access to the content on the Google service for the country where it is considered defamatory." For a roofer who works one metro area, that is not a weakness. Your customers are all in one country.

**Your name may become public.** Google's [Lumen page](https://support.google.com/legal/answer/12158374) says it generally does not share the requester's name for defamation requests. For court order requests, it shares the requester's name, the URLs and the order itself unless confidential, and a notice linking to that public Lumen record may appear at the bottom of the affected results page. Filing can create a new public record tying your business to the report.

**Google has seen a lot of fake orders.** In [Shenanigans (Internet Takedown Edition)](https://www2.law.ucla.edu/Volokh/shenanigans.pdf), a 2021 Utah Law Review article, UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh reviewed orders sent to Google from 2012 to 2016. Against about 700 seemingly legitimate US libel orders, he found "over 200 either obviously forged or fraudulent or at least highly suspicious cases," including more than 90 apparent forgeries, and many targeted posts on complaint sites "such as Ripoff Report." A contested judgment stands out. A rushed default judgment looks like the rest.

Google's [ranking systems guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) adds that a significant volume of valid legal removals against one site, including defamation and court-ordered removals, can get other content from that site demoted.

### The Google form that does not apply to you

The most repeated tip in this niche is Google's form for sites with exploitative removal practices. Its [requirements](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9172218) exclude businesses twice. One is "The website is not a business review site," and the page states: "We only remove content about people." A report about your company fails both tests. Ripoff Report also does not charge for removal, because it does not remove anything.

Google's Results about you tool does not help either. Its [help page](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/12719076) covers results showing your personal phone number, home address or email address, and says Google will not offer removal for results from business websites or newspapers.

## If your business is in Canada

- **Arbitration is closed.** VIP Arbitration requires US domicile.
- **Canadian court orders do not trigger the redaction policy.** It covers state and federal courts in the United States only.
- **Ripoff Report calls foreign judgments against it "worthless" until enforced in the US.** Its legal page points to 28 U.S.C. § 4102, the 2010 US law that bars American courts from enforcing foreign defamation judgments against website operators when US law would have barred the claim. It also argues that USMCA Article 19.17 borrows Section 230's language.

Equustek shows it in practice: after the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a worldwide delisting order against Google, a California federal court [blocked its enforcement in the US](https://www.dechert.com/knowledge/onpoint/2017/11/us-court-shields-google-from-canadian-court-order-in-search-deli0.html) on Section 230 grounds in 2017.

What still works is a judgment against the author followed by a Google request, because Google restricts results in the country where content is found defamatory. Ontario courts have also treated Google itself as a publisher of reviews it declined to remove, cases we cover in [how to remove a fake Google review](https://www.pavadotech.com/blog/how-to-remove-a-fake-google-review). On timing, Ontario's six-week libel notice rule covers newspapers and broadcasts, and in Hamilton v. Vaughan (2025 ONCA 98) the Court of Appeal confirmed an online post [is not automatically a broadcast](https://www.gilbertsondavis.com/online-platform-publications-and-the-libel-and-slander-act/). Get advice early rather than guessing which deadline applies.

This section explains how the policies and case law work. It is not legal advice. Defamation deadlines are short and differ by state and province, so talk to a lawyer before you file anything or send a demand to the author.

## The "guaranteed removal" pitch

Once a report ranks, removal pitches follow. Guarantees deserve scrutiny, and Volokh's study shows why. The Texas Attorney General won a [$300,000 default judgment against Solvera Group](https://www2.law.ucla.edu/Volokh/shenanigans.pdf), which had promised "guaranteed removals." According to the state, Solvera had associates sign affidavits falsely claiming they lived in the court's county and wrote the posts, producing stipulated judgments. Clients were "often unaware that a lawsuit was even being filed in their names." In a separate set of cases, Richart Ruddie, whose company promised "guarantee[d] removal," was sanctioned $71,000 and agreed to ask courts to vacate three orders.

"Guaranteed removal" still appears on pages ranking for this keyword. That is not proof of wrongdoing, but ask three questions before paying:

1. **What exact mechanism will you use?** A Google legal request, a lawsuit, arbitration, or suppression. "Our proprietary process" is not an answer.
2. **If it is a lawsuit, who is the defendant and how will you prove they wrote it?** Stipulated judgments with a friendly defendant are exactly the pattern Volokh documented.
3. **Whose name goes on the filings, and in which court?** If it is yours, you carry the risk when the order gets vacated. A court in a state where neither you nor the customer lives is a red flag.

Even honest work is not cheap. A former reputation management employee in the r/smallbusiness thread wrote: "I've seen people spend $20k just to push ROR down and still not succeed."

## Route 7: Outrank it, in Google and in AI answers

This is the only route that works on every report, true or false, in any country. The top answer in that r/smallbusiness thread: "Put a blog on your site directly responding to the Ripoff Report, get it to rank & run Google ads against it." A commenter in [another thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/30ss1y/dealing_with_ripoffreport_scamorg/) framed the goal as getting it off the results page for your name, "a much different mindset" than getting it off Ripoff Report. One removal vendor estimates suppression takes [3 to 12 months](https://maximaticmedia.com/blog/how-to-remove-a-ripoff-report-from-google-search-results) depending on competition.

For a contractor, page one of your brand search has roughly ten organic slots. Fill them with pages you control or pages that treat you fairly:

| Asset | What to put on it |
| --- | --- |
| Homepage and About page | License number, years in business, owner's name |
| A "Reviews and complaints" page | Your deposit policy and how you resolve disputes. Targets "[name] complaints" directly |
| Google Business Profile | Recent reviews with job details. See [how many Google reviews you need](https://www.pavadotech.com/blog/how-many-google-reviews-do-i-need-to-rank) |
| BBB profile | Answered complaints and verified reviews |
| Angi, Houzz, Yelp | Accurate categories and service area |
| Manufacturer contractor locators | Shingle, HVAC or window certifications |
| YouTube and Facebook | Project walkthrough videos |

BBB does double duty. Unlike Ripoff Report, it says it ["confirms that a marketplace interaction took place"](https://www.bbb.org/all/customer-reviews/reviews) and does "not allow anonymous reviews." And in Foundation Marketing and AirOps data for Q4 2025, BBB was [the most cited local platform on ChatGPT](https://ppc.land/yelp-gets-3-4x-more-ai-citations-than-any-rival-in-new-local-search-data/) among the six tracked, with 68,617 citations, ahead of Angi at 44,356 and Yelp at 25,681. That was before Yelp's July 2026 licensing deal with OpenAI, which we break down in [which review sites ChatGPT uses](https://www.pavadotech.com/blog/which-review-sites-does-chatgpt-use).

This route pays twice because AI engines search the web before answering "is this contractor legit." We found no study measuring how often they cite ripoffreport.com, so nobody can size that risk honestly. The defense is the same either way: give them better sources. A page stating your license, insurance, deposit policy and complaint process is the kind of factual source they summarize. If a competitor already fills those slots, the work resembles [figuring out why they outrank you](https://www.pavadotech.com/blog/why-is-my-competitor-outranking-me-on-google), aimed at your brand searches.

Skip thin sites, bought links and fake positive reviews. They break Google's rules and hand the author a second, true story to tell.

We map page one for your business name and the AI answers about you, then build the pages that should own those slots. It is the same work behind our [generative search optimization service](https://www.pavadotech.com/gseo), aimed at the searches that decide whether a prospect calls back.

## Which route fits your situation

| Your situation | Best route | Cost | What changes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Real customer, fixable dispute | 1, then 2 | $0 | Update and rebuttal on the report |
| Ranks on page one, mostly opinion | 2 and 7 | $0 plus time | Your side shows, then the report slips |
| US business, provably false facts or a fake customer | 3 | $2,000 per report | False lines redacted, name stays |
| Many reports | 4 | Unpublished, owners cite $5,000 to $30,000 | Updates, no removal |
| Serious false claims costing work | 5, then 6 | Reported $10,000 to $70,000 | Redaction if contested, Google delisting by country |
| Canadian business | 2, 5 in Canada, 6, 7 | Varies | Delisting in Canada |
| Any report | 7 | Time | Report leaves page one |

## The first 30 days checklist

1. **Screenshot the report** and record its URL, report number, author display name and posting date. A subpoena needs the last three.
2. **Run the Step Zero searches** and log where the report ranks for each.
3. **Mark the posting date** and talk to a defamation lawyer well before a year has passed, since many US states allow only one.
4. **Sort every sentence** into fact, opinion, or partly true, and pull the job file to match.
5. **If the customer is real, fix the job first**, then ask for an update.
6. **Post a rebuttal only if the report ranks** for your name.
7. **If you are US-based with checkable false facts**, price arbitration against the work you are losing.
8. **Start Route 7 the same week**, whatever else you do: a reviews and complaints page on your site, a complete BBB profile, and a steady stream of Google reviews.

A report that cannot be deleted can still be made irrelevant. The contractors who stop losing jobs to one are rarely the ones who won a legal fight. They are the ones whose name now brings up ten better pages first.

## FAQ

### Will Ripoff Report remove a report about my business?

No. Section 5 of Ripoff Report's terms of service says posts are a permanent record that will not be removed, even at the author's request. The most the site offers is redaction of specific false statements after its paid VIP Arbitration or after a qualifying US court judgment. Your business name stays in the title and the URL keeps existing.

### Can I sue Ripoff Report for a false report?

In the United States, almost certainly not successfully. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects sites from liability for what users post, and Ripoff Report's legal page lists more than a dozen cases it won on that basis. The two notable losses, MCW in 2004 and Hy Cite in 2005, came at the motion to dismiss stage and turned on allegations that the site wrote content itself. You can sue the author instead.

### How much does Ripoff Report arbitration cost?

Ripoff Report's VIP Arbitration Program charges $2,000 per report and $250 per additional comment by a different author. It is only open to people and companies domiciled in the United States. It takes about 30 days if the author does not respond and 45 to 60 days if they do, and a win redacts false statements rather than removing the report.

### Can the person who wrote the Ripoff Report delete it?

No. The author grants Ripoff Report an exclusive, perpetual license to the content when they post, and the terms say the post will not be removed even at the author's request. What the author can do for free is post an update saying the matter was resolved or that they made a mistake, and that update appears on the report.

### Will Google remove a Ripoff Report from search results?

Only through a legal request, and usually only with strong support such as a court order. Google's defamation form asks for the exact URLs, why the statements are false and how they harm you, and an approved request restricts the result only in the country where it is found defamatory. Google's separate form for sites that charge for removal excludes business review sites and only covers content about people.

### Should I respond to a Ripoff Report?

If the report shows up on page one when someone searches your business name, yes. Prospects who find it will read your response, and Ripoff Report lets businesses post a rebuttal with supporting documents for free. If the report does not rank for your name, a response mainly adds text to a page nobody visits, so there is less reason to touch it.

### Do reputation companies that promise guaranteed Ripoff Report removal really work?

Some get pages delisted from Google, but the word guaranteed deserves hard questions. The Texas Attorney General won a $300,000 default judgment against Solvera Group, which promised guaranteed removals and, according to the state, filed lawsuits with defendants who falsely claimed to have written the posts. Ask any vendor exactly which legal mechanism they will use and whose name goes on the filings.

### Does Section 230 protect Ripoff Report from a Canadian lawsuit?

Section 230 is US law, but it still matters. Ripoff Report says it has no assets outside the US, and a 2010 US law bars American courts from enforcing foreign defamation judgments against website operators when US law would have barred the claim. A Canadian judgment against the author is still useful, because Google assesses defamation requests under local law and restricts results in that country.