Why Yahoo Scanned All of its Users’ Emails

More bad news for Yahoo email users. Recently, United States intelligence ordered Yahoo to scan all of its users’ emails. This process began in April, and includes more than 300 million Yahoo users. Every email you’ve received, including your email signature and any attachments, were scanned.

Yahoo users and employees are up in arms about the secret scanning that occurred. Yahoo’s chief executive, Marissa Mayer, went behind the security team’s back, asking email engineers to handle the development of the software that would conduct the scans. The White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, has stated, “The United States only uses signals intelligence for national security purposes and not for the purpose of indiscriminately reviewing the emails or phone calls of ordinary people, and certainly not of law-abiding American citizens.”

Read More: An Overview of Apps That Aim to Manage Your Inbox

Why Did Yahoo Scan Their Users’ Emails?

A programming error left all of Yahoo email vulnerable to hackers, according to a former employee. What’s more, Yahoo decided not to fight the order, a move that caused a couple of Yahoo officials to leave the company. It’s the lack of a fight that has caused some Yahoo executives to leave, like the former chief information security officer, Alex Stamos. Reportedly, another staff member is leaving due to the lack of ethics involved in providing free reign to email inboxes.

Yahoo has stated that its loyalties lie in the government and that it is a law-abiding company — and then denied the allegations a day later. The whole ordeal has left many confused and angry. Tech companies typically strive for transparency. Emails aren’t just offered up without a fight. Well, not usually, anyway. Many times, these companies head to court to fight for the right to refuse email scans. This time, Yahoo didn’t even try to fight — and affected all of its users.

The Problem with Scanning Emails

Scanning email in real time is alarming. This news has caused many Yahoo users to abandon their Yahoo accounts in favor of another company. Users are turning to alternate email services to help ensure better privacy protection. If you are a Yahoo user, you may be interested in using a different service as well; one that lists their member’s privacy as a top priority. Email services like Gmail or Hotmail may make a nice alternative.

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