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Yahoo secretly scanned millions of its users' email accounts on behalf of the US government, according to a report. Reuters news agency says the firm built special software last year to comply with a classified request.
"Yahoo is a law abiding company, and complies with the laws of the United States," the tech firm said in a statement provided to the BBC.
The allegation comes less than a fortnight after Yahoo said hackers had stolen data about many of its users. Yahoo is in the process of being taken over by Verizon Communications in a $4.8bn (£3.8bn) deal. The telecoms provider declined to comment on the report.
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Yahoo "Secretly Scanned Emails for US Authorities"
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Nadia Comaneci, simple perfection.
-- '76 Olympics
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 05 2016, @03:40AM
> This is news?
it is news because it started only about a year ago. Long after the Snowden revelations set off an orgy of "fighting the man" in silicon valley. The official explanation for why all the big names were in bed with the NSA pre-snowden was that they thought it was their patriotic duty, but post-snowden the PR is all about user privacy first and foremost. This shows otherwise. And the response by all the other big names has been quick - they promise they have not done the same. [wsj.com] Maybe you think they are lying, in which case there is no point in any discussion at all. But such blunt and public denials aren't likely in this age of whistleblowers and leaks, if they were caught lying the consequences would be even worse than for Yahoo who were (a) already dying (b) never made such a promise.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 05 2016, @04:17AM
it is news because it started only about a year ago.
Maybe because you missed this: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/gchq-nsa-webcam-images-internet-yahoo [theguardian.com]
The GCHQ are pals with the NSA and the rest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 05 2016, @04:39AM
> Maybe because you missed this:
That was not a program that yahoo willingly participated in. Says so right in the subhead.
So, thanks for wasting everyone's time, you are a bro.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 05 2016, @05:20AM
Their patriotic duty, or they didn't want to serve 10 years in the can for fiddling with option valuation?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 05 2016, @03:40PM
Why does it have to be either/or?
(Score: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Wednesday October 05 2016, @05:46AM
"We've never received such a request, but if we did, our response would be simple: 'No way'," a spokesman for Google said in a statement.
A Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement, "We have never engaged in the secret scanning of email traffic like what has been reported today about Yahoo.” The company declined to comment on whether it had received such a request.
-- https://www.thequint.com/technology/2016/10/05/yahoo-wrote-program-to-snoop-on-emails-for-us-intelligence-report-fbi-facebook-google [thequint.com]
The Wall Street Journal article says that Twitter and Facebook also "denied scanning incoming user emails"; however, those companies don't provide e-mail as a service.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 05 2016, @03:42PM
You are using those quote marks like it is what twitter and facebook literally said, but that's not the case, that's the WSJ's rephrasing.
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Wednesday October 05 2016, @04:38PM
Perhaps I should have introduced the quote with "the Wall Street Journal article says"--oh wait, I did.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 06 2016, @01:35AM
Oh don't play stupid. Your post makes no sense if facebook and twitter didn't literally say email.
Seriously, what is wrong with you that made you think there was meaning in the false literalism of your post? Are you a trumpkin or maybe just an aspie?
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Thursday October 06 2016, @04:12AM
> Your post makes no sense if facebook and twitter didn't literally say email.
What makes you think they didn't?
> Seriously, what is wrong with you that made you think there was meaning in the false literalism of your post?
Sometimes, the exact meaning of words is important. If, as the article says, those companies used the word "e-mails" in their announcements then the announcements don't pertain to the services those companies are best known for.
> Are you a trumpkin or maybe just an aspie?
Instead of giving out information about myself, I'd prefer to discuss the news.