Editing Yahoo Mail

{{Short description|American email service}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Yahoo! Mail
| logo = Yahoo! Mail (2019).svg
| logo_size = 250px
| screenshot = Yahoo Mail desktop.png
| screenshot_size = 250px
| caption = Screenshot of the [[Webmail|web-based]] Yahoo Mail client (2017 version)
| collapsible = 
| collapsetext = 
| url = {{URL|https://mail.yahoo.com/}}
| commercial = Yes
| type = [[Webmail]]
| registration = Required
| language = [[Multilingual]] (27)<ref>{{cite web|title=Change your language or location preferences in Yahoo|url=https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN7764.html?redirect=true}}</ref>
| num_users = 225 million active monthly users (February 2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/13/yahoo-mails-mobile-app-now-does-caller-id-syncs-photos/?ncid=rss|title=Yahoo Mail's mobile app now does Caller ID, syncs photos|first = Sarah|last= Parez|date = February 13, 2017| work=Tech Crunch}}</ref>
| content_license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| author = 
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1997|10|8}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/timeline.cfm |title=Yahoo! Inc. – Company Timeline |work=[[Wayback Machine]] |date=July 13, 2008 |access-date=July 19, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080713214826/http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/timeline.cfm |archive-date=July 13, 2008 }}</ref>
| revenue = 
| current_status = Online
| footnotes = 
| logocaption = 
}}

'''<span lang="en" dir="ltr">Yahoo</span>! Mail''' (also written as '''Yahoo Mail''') is an [[email]] service offered by the American company [[Yahoo (2017–present)|Yahoo, Inc.]] The service is free for personal use, with an optional monthly fee for additional features. Business email was previously available with the Yahoo! Small Business brand, before it transitioned to [[Verizon Communications|Verizon]] Small Business Essentials in early 2022. Launched on October 8, 1997, as of January 2020, Yahoo! Mail has 225 million users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=February 13, 2017 |title=Yahoo Mail's mobile app now does Caller ID, syncs photos |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/13/yahoo-mails-mobile-app-now-does-caller-id-syncs-photos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826054522/https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/13/yahoo-mails-mobile-app-now-does-caller-id-syncs-photos/ |archive-date=August 26, 2018 |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=[[TechCrunch]] |language=en-US }}</ref>

Users are able to access and manage their mailboxes using [[webmail|webmail interface]], accessible using a standard [[web browser]]. Some accounts also supported the use of standard mail protocols ([[Post Office Protocol|POP3]] and [[Simple Mail Transfer Protocol|SMTP]]). Since 2015, users can also connect non-Yahoo e-mail accounts to the webmail client.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/yahoo-mail-now-manages-your-entire-gmail-account-too-1747492137|title=Yahoo Mail Now Manages Your Entire Gmail Account Too|last=Condliffe |first=Jamie |website=[[Gizmodo]] |date=December 11, 2015 |access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref>

New Yahoo! Mail accounts, and most of the service's accounts, use <code>yahoo.com</code> and <code>myyahoo.com</code> as the email suffix. Previously, users could choose <code>ymail.com</code> or <code>[[RocketMail|rocketmail.com]]</code> as a suffix,<ref>{{cite web |date=June 19, 2008 |title=Yahoo offers new ymail, rocketmail accounts |url=https://www.cbc.ca/1.708826 |access-date=March 27, 2022 |website=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> or one of several country-specific suffixes. Many countries were available, such as <code>yahoo.co.uk</code> in the United Kingdom, <code>yahoo.fr</code> in France (also used by francophones) and <code>yahoo.it</code> in Italy. While these suffixes are discontinued for new accounts, they are preserved for existing accounts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Identify your domain extension in Yahoo Mail &#124; Yahoo Help - SLN2153 |url=https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN2153.html?redirect=true |website=Yahoo Help}}</ref> [[Yahoo! Japan]] Mail, a separate service, offers both <code>yahoo.co.jp</code> and <code>ymail.ne.jp</code> as suffixes.<ref>{{cite web |title=新ドメインのメールアドレス「＠ymail.ne.jp」提供開始！ |url=https://whatsnewmail.yahoo.co.jp/yahoo/20220301a2.html |website=Yahoo!メール |access-date=22 March 2022 |language=ja |date=1 March 2022}}</ref> [[Internet service provider]]s using Yahoo! Mail offer their own suffixes for subscribers, with [[AT&T Internet Services|AT&T]] also offering free accounts to non-subscribers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AT&T Mail {{!}} Currently {{!}} Yahoo |url=https://more.att.com/currently/imap |access-date=2022-03-27 |website=[[AT&T]] |language=en}}</ref>

{{toclimit|3}}

==History==
===1997–2002===
[[File:Ymail 2001.png|thumb|Yahoo! webmail interface as it appeared in 2001]]
[[File:Yahoo Mail 2001.jpg|thumb|First mail of Yahoo after creation in 2001]]
Yahoo! made a deal with the online communications company [[Four11]] for co-branded white pages. Marvin Gavin, who worked at Four11 as the director of international business development, said "We always had a bias about being acquired by Yahoo. They were more entrepreneurial than Microsoft. We had a great cultural fit – it made a lot of sense." In the end, Yahoo! acquired Four11 for $96 million. The purpose behind acquiring Four11 was the company's [[RocketMail]] webmail service, which launched in 1997. Yahoo! announced the acquisition on October 8, 1997,<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=Yahoo! |date=October 23, 1997 |url=http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release128.html |title=Yahoo! Completes Four11 Acquisition |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712045932/http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release128.html |archive-date=July 12, 2007}}</ref> close to the time that Yahoo! Mail was launched.<ref name="launchannouncement">{{cite press release |publisher=Yahoo! |date=October 8, 1997 |url=http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release124.html |title=Yahoo! Expands Community Services with Free E-mail |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712045957/http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release124.html |archive-date=July 12, 2007}}</ref> Yahoo! chose acquisition rather than internal platform development, because, as Healy said, "Hotmail was growing at thousands and thousands users per week. We did an analysis. For us to build, it would have taken four to six months, and by then, so many users would have taken an email account. The speed of the market was critical."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Angel |first1=Karen |title=Inside Yahoo!: Reinvention and the Road Ahead |date=October 1, 2002 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-42102-3 |page=93 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ko30VuEpSnYC&pg=PA93 |language=en}}</ref>

The transition to Yahoo! Mail was not easy for many Rocketmail users.<ref>{{cite news |last=Griffin |first=Gretchen |date=2003 |title=Rocketmail Slowly Gets Grounded |url=http://www.flakmag.com/opinion/rocket.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030301011513/http://flakmag.com/opinion/rocket.html |archive-date=2003-03-01 |access-date=January 22, 2006 |work=[[Flak Magazine]]}}</ref> On March 21, 2002, Yahoo! eliminated free software client access and introduced the $29.99 per year Mail Forwarding Service.<ref name="cnet">{{cite news |last=Hu |first=Jim |date=March 21, 2002 |title=Yahoo! tacks fees onto e-mail, storage |url=http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-865570.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104094505/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-865570.html |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |access-date=June 1, 2006 |work=[[CNET |CNET News]] }}</ref> Mary Osako, a Yahoo! Spokeswoman, told CNET, "For-pay services on Yahoo!, originally launched in February 1999, have experienced great acceptance from our base of active registered users, and we expect this adoption to continue to grow."<ref name="cnet"/>

===2002–2010===
[[File:Yahoo! Mail Logo (1997-2009).svg|thumb|200px|Yahoo! Mail logo from 2002]]
During 2002, the Yahoo! network was gradually redesigned. On July 2, 2002, the company website was changed, and it was announced that Yahoo! Mail and other services would also be redesigned.<ref>{{cite news |last=Olsen |first=Stefanie |date=July 2, 2002 |title=Yahoo! unveils home page face-lift |url=http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-941329.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618070824/http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-941329.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=June 18, 2006 |access-date=May 31, 2006 |work=[[ZDNet]]}}</ref> Along with this new design, new features were to be implemented, including drop-down menus in [[DHTML]], different category tabs, and a new user-customizable color scheme. Yahoo! Network Services senior vice president Geoff Ralston stated that

{{blockquote|source=|The launch of Yahoo! Mail Plus is part of Yahoo's strategic initiative to offer premium services that deliver innovative, reliable and relevant services to consumers ... In just five years, Yahoo! Mail has grown from one million to tens of millions of users, illustrating how consumers have made email an essential part of their daily lives. Through Yahoo! Mail Plus, Yahoo! continues to demonstrate leadership and innovation by offering consumers the industry's most complete and powerful email solution.<ref name=release1023>{{cite press release |publisher=Yahoo! |date=November 14, 2002 |url=http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1023.html |title=Yahoo! Introduces Yahoo! Mail Plus To Help Consumers Manage Their Growing E-Mail Needs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609131745/http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1023.html |archive-date=June 9, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>}}

[[File:Ymail Messenger Beta.png|thumb|[[Yahoo! Messenger]] chat integration in the Yahoo! Mail webmail interface, in beta in 2007]]
On July 9, 2004, Yahoo! acquired [[Oddpost]], a webmail service which simulated a desktop email client. Oddpost had features such as drag-and-drop support, right-click menus, RSS feeds, a preview pane, and increased speed using email caching to shorten response time. Many of the features were incorporated into an updated Yahoo! Mail service.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=Yahoo! |date=September 14, 2005 |url=http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1260.html |title=Yahoo! Begins Public Testing of New Yahoo! Mail |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609003015/http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1260.html |archive-date=June 9, 2007}}</ref>

====Competition====
On April 1, 2004, Google announced its [[Gmail]] service with 1 GB of storage, although Gmail's invitation-only accounts kept the other webmail services at the forefront. Most major webmail providers, including Yahoo! Mail, increased their mailbox storage in response. Yahoo! first announced 100 MB of storage for basic accounts and 2 GB of storage for premium users.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=Yahoo! |date=June 15, 2004 |url=http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1168.html |title=Yahoo! Announces "New and Improved" Yahoo! Mail, Introduces Major Increase in Storage Space, Makes 50 Million Additional E-Mail Addresses Available |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701083758/http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1168.html |archive-date=July 1, 2007}}</ref> However, soon Yahoo! Mail increased its free storage quota to 1 GB, before eventually allowing unlimited storage. Yahoo! Mail had free unlimited storage from March 27, 2007, until October 8, 2013.

===2011–present===
[[File:Yahoo! Mail Logo (2009-2013).png|thumb|200px|Yahoo! Mail logo from 2009]]
[[Image:Yahoo Mail Screenshot.png|thumb|right|Screenshot of the 2011 version of Yahoo! Mail]]
On September 17, 2010, Yahoo! showed off a new Mail program to reporters.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mossberg |first=Walter S. |date=August 30, 2007 |title=Years in the Making, Powerful Yahoo Mail Is Worth the Wait |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118842954470812791 |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 9, 2021 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Graham |first=Jeffrerson |date=September 16, 2010 |title=Yahoo shows off new Mail program |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/09/yahoo-sneak-peek/1?csp=34 |access-date=2024-01-27 |newspaper=[[USA Today]]}}</ref> Codenamed "Minty", the 2011 release was announced on September 16, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |last=Srivastava |first=Kakul |date=2010-09-16 |title=Get Ready… Yahoo! Mail Beta Is Coming |url=http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/09/get-ready-yahoo-mail-beta-is-coming/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526004014/http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/09/get-ready-yahoo-mail-beta-is-coming |archive-date=May 26, 2011 |access-date=May 22, 2011 |website=Yahoo Mail Blog}}</ref> It included a new interface, enhanced performance, improved Facebook and Twitter integration, the ability to watch YouTube videos straight from email, and improved search.<ref name="Yahoo! Mail Beta Includes...">{{cite web|last=David|first=McDowell|title=Yahoo! Mail Beta Includes...|url=http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/10/|access-date=May 22, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518202820/http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/10|archive-date=May 18, 2011}}</ref> Public beta began on October 26, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |last=McDowell |first=David |date=2010-10-26 |title=Yahoo! Mail Beta Rolls Out Worldwide |url=http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/10/yahoo-mail-beta-rolls-out-worldwide |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513122522/http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/10/yahoo-mail-beta-rolls-out-worldwide |archive-date=2011-05-13 |access-date=May 22, 2011 |website=Yahoo Mail Blog}}</ref> In May 2011, the new Yahoo! Mail became the default interface.<ref name="Beta">{{cite web |last=McDowell |first=David |date=2011-05-23 |title=Introducing The Best Yahoo! Mail Ever |url=http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2011/05/introducing_the_best_yahoo_mail_ever/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628024258/http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2011/05/introducing_the_best_yahoo_mail_ever/ |archive-date=June 28, 2011 |access-date=July 2, 2011 |website=Yahoo Mail Blog}}</ref> As the new interface became mandatory for users, some users of Yahoo! Mail reported slow typing speeds, contradicting Yahoo's claims of faster performance. Yahoo! offered no resolution to the problem {{As of|2011|September|12|df=US|lc=y}}. Users also missed the ability to paste textual email addresses into the sender box. The new version disabled the use of the "secondary" addresses provided in the previous version. The new interface overrode the browser's [[right mouse button]] (making functions such as opening mails in new tab windows unavailable).{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

In 2013, Yahoo! redesigned the site and removed several features, such as simultaneously opening multiple emails in tabs, sorting by sender name, and dragging mails to folders.<ref>{{cite web |last=Blue |first=Violet |date=2013-10-14 |title=Anger explodes at Yahoo! Mail redesign disaster: Key functions removed or broken |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/anger-explodes-at-yahoo-mail-redesign-disaster-key-functions-removed-or-broken/ |access-date=February 5, 2017 |website=[[ZDNet]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Molina |first=Brett |date=October 15, 2013 |title=Yahoo! email users not happy with redesign |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/15/yahoo-email-redesign/2986433/ |access-date=February 5, 2017 |website=[[USA Today]]}}</ref> The new email interface was geared to give an improved user-experience for mobile devices, but was criticized for having an inferior desktop interface.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Many users objected to the unannounced nature of the changes through an online post asking Yahoo! to bring back mail tabs with one hundred thousand voting and nearly ten thousand commenting.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitehouse |first=Kaja |date=November 11, 2013 |title=Yahoo! users gripe over latest email change |url=https://nypost.com/2013/11/11/yahoo-users-gripe-over-latest-email-change/ |access-date=January 31, 2014 |work=[[New York Post]]}}</ref> The redesign produced a problem that caused an unknown number of users to lose access to their accounts for several weeks.<ref>{{cite web |last=Blue |first=Violet |date=December 12, 2013 |title=Yahoo! forced to acknowledge Yahoo! Mail problems in worst failure yet |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/yahoo-forced-to-acknowledge-yahoo-mail-problems-in-worst-failure-yet/ |access-date=January 31, 2014 |website=[[ZDNet]]}}</ref>

In December 2013, Yahoo! Mail suffered a major outage where approximately one million users, one percent of the site's total users, could not access their emails for several days. Then Yahoo! CEO [[Marissa Mayer]] publicly apologized to the site's users.<ref name="theverge1">{{cite web |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=December 13, 2013 |title=Marissa Mayer apologizes for lengthy Yahoo! Mail outage |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/13/5209132/marissa-mayer-apologizes-for-lengthy-yahoo-mail-outage |access-date=January 31, 2014 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=David |date=December 14, 2013 |title=Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer Apologizes for Yahoo! Mail Outage &#124; News & Opinion |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer-apologizes-for-yahoo-mail-outage |access-date=January 31, 2014 |work=[[PCMag]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Panzarino |first=Matthew |date=December 13, 2013 |title=Yahoo! CEO Mayer Apologizes For Mail Outage That She Says Affected 1% Of Users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/13/yahoos-marissa-mayer-apologizes-for-mail-outage-that-she-says-affected-1-of-users/ |access-date=January 31, 2014 |website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Grandoni |first1=Dino |last2=Kleinman |first2=Alexis |date=2013-12-11 |title=Yahoo's Prolonged Email Outage Enrages Those Who Still Use It |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/yahoo-mail-down_n_4426253 |access-date=November 15, 2021 |work=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref>

China Yahoo! Mail officially announced its shutdown on April 18, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=zh:中国雅虎邮箱于2013年4月18日启动整体迁移|url=http://migration.cn.yahoo.com/explain.php|publisher=Yahoo.com.cn|language=zh-cn|access-date=April 18, 2013|archive-date=April 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420181936/http://migration.cn.yahoo.com/explain.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Users were warned that all emails, contacts, and account settings would be inaccessible, unless users migrated to the American version of Yahoo! Mail. Individuals who made China Yahoo! Mail accounts during the Alibaba takeover were required to create new accounts under new usernames.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=China Yahoo! Mail is closing |url=http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&y=PROD_MAIL_ML&locale=en_US&id=SLN14752 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424022241/http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&y=PROD_MAIL_ML&locale=en_US&id=SLN14752 |archive-date=April 24, 2013 |access-date=April 18, 2013 |website=Yahoo Help }}</ref>

In January 2014, an undisclosed number of usernames and passwords were released to hackers, following a security breach that Yahoo! believed had occurred through a third-party website. Yahoo! contacted affected users and requested that passwords be changed.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hachman |first=Mark |date=January 30, 2014 |title=Yahoo! acknowledges Yahoo! Mail hack |url=http://www.techhive.com/article/2092198/yahoo-acknowledges-yahoo-mail-hack.html#tk.nl_thbest |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131075254/http://www.techhive.com/article/2092198/yahoo-acknowledges-yahoo-mail-hack.html#tk.nl_thbest |archive-date=January 31, 2014 |access-date=February 8, 2014 |work=TechHive |publisher=[[International Data Group |IDG Consumer & SMB]]}}</ref>

In October 2015, Yahoo! updated the mail service with a "more subtle" redesign, as well as improved mobile features. The same release introduced the Yahoo! Account Key, a smartphone-based replacement for password logins.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 15, 2015 |title=Yahoo! Mail gets a redesign, goes "password-free" |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/10/15/yahoo-mail-gets-a-redesign-goes-password-free/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=[[The Mercury News]] |publisher=}}</ref>

In 2017, Yahoo! again redesigned the web interface with a "more minimal" look, and introduced the option to customize it with different color themes and layouts.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Nicole |date=June 27, 2017 |title=Yahoo gives Mail a makeover and introduces Yahoo Mail Pro |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/27/yahoo-mail-update/ |access-date=April 14, 2018 |website=[[Engadget]]}}</ref>

In 2020, Yahoo! added a feature to view NFL matches.<ref>{{cite web |last=Davenport |first=Corbin |date=3 October 2020 |title=Yahoo Mail now has a section for watching NFL games, because why not? |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/10/03/yahoo-mail-now-has-a-section-for-watching-nfl-games-because-why-not/ |access-date=5 October 2020 |website=Android Police}}</ref>

In 2022, Yahoo! Mail started offering the suffix <code>myyahoo.com</code> for new signups.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yahoo Mail - My Yahoo |url=https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/myyahoo?guccounter=1 |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=overview.mail.yahoo.com}}</ref>

== User interface ==
As many as three [[Webmail|web interfaces]] were available at any given time. The traditional "Yahoo! Mail Classic" preserved the availability of their original 1997 interface until July 2013 in North America. A 2005 version included a new [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax]] interface, drag-and-drop, improved search, keyboard shortcuts, address auto-completion, and tabs. However, other features were removed, such as column widths and one click delete-move-to-next. In October 2010, Yahoo! released a beta version of Yahoo! Mail,<ref>{{cite web |last=McDowell |first=David |date=2010-10-26 |title=Yahoo! Mail Beta Was Released October 2010 |url=http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/10/yahoo-mail-beta-rolls-out-worldwide/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713151034/http://www.ymailblog.com/blog/2010/10/yahoo-mail-beta-rolls-out-worldwide |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=July 2, 2011 |website=Yahoo Mail Blog}}</ref> which included improvements to performance, search, and [[Facebook]] integration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo! Mail Beta Features |url=http://features.mail.yahoo.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20101225114204/http://features.mail.yahoo.com/ |archive-date=December 25, 2010 |access-date=July 5, 2011 |website=Yahoo}}</ref> In May 2011, this became the default interface.<ref name="Beta" /> Their current Webmail interface was introduced in 2017.

==Spam policy==
{{outdated section|date=July 2022}}
Yahoo! Mail is often used by [[email spam|spammers]] to provide a "remove me" email address. Often, these addresses are used to verify the recipient's address, thus opening the door for more spam.

Yahoo! does not tolerate this practice and terminates accounts connected with spam-related activities without warning, causing spammers to lose access to any other Yahoo! services connected with their ID under the Terms of Service. Additionally, Yahoo! stresses that its servers are based in California and any spam-related activity which uses its servers could potentially violate that state's anti-spam laws.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 28, 2007 |title=How do I report Spam? – Yahoo! Abuse |url=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/abuse/abuse-110239.html |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828025209/http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/abuse/abuse-110239.html |archive-date=August 28, 2007 |access-date=February 5, 2017 |website=Yahoo Help}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yahoo! Terms |url=http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/guidelines/spam |access-date=February 5, 2017 |website=Yahoo}}</ref>

In February 2006, Yahoo! announced its decision (along with AOL) to give some organizations the option to "certify" mail by paying up to one cent for each outgoing message, allowing the mail in question to bypass inbound spam filters.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cohn |first=Cindy |date=2006-02-08 |title=AOL, Yahoo! and Goodmail: Taxing Your Email for Fun and Profit |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004398.php#004398 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213175705/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004398.php#004398 |archive-date=February 13, 2006 |access-date=January 30, 2012 |website=[[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] }}</ref>

===Filters===
In order to prevent abuse, in 2002 Yahoo! Mail activated filters which changed certain words (that could trigger unwanted [[JavaScript]] events) and word fragments into other words. "mocha" was changed to "espresso", "expression" became "statement", and "[[#EvalJavaScript|eval]]" (short for "evaluation") became "review". This resulted in many unintended corrections, such as "prevent" (prevalent), "revalidation" (evaluation) and "media review" (medieval).

When asked about these changes, Yahoo! explained that the changed words were common terms used in their privacy dashboard and were blacklisted to prevent hackers from sending damaging commands via the program's [[HTML]] function. Starting before February 7, 2006, Yahoo! Mail ended the practice, and began to add an [[underscore]] as a prefix to certain suspicious words and word fragments.

===Greylisting===
{{See also|Greylisting (email)}}
Incoming mail to Yahoo! addresses can be subjected to deferred delivery as part of Yahoo's incoming spam controls. This can delay delivery of mail sent to Yahoo! addresses without the sender or recipients being aware of it. The deferral is typically of short duration, but may extend up to several hours. Yahoo! does not specifically document this policy in detail, although some information is available.<ref>{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Why am I getting "451 Message temporarily deferred" or "421 Message from x.x.x.x temporarily deferred" errors when sending mail to Yahoo!? |url=http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/defer/defer-06.html |access-date=June 27, 2007 |website=Yahoo Help}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2007 |title=As a sender, how can I ensure uninterrupted SMTP access and prioritized delivery? |url=http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/defer/defer-01.html |access-date=June 27, 2007 |website=Yahoo Help}}</ref>

==Controversies==
===Shi Tao arrest===
In 2004, Yahoo's Hong Kong office provided technical information to the Chinese authorities about the account of journalist [[Shi Tao (journalist)|Shi Tao]], who was subsequently sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for "leaking state secrets".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-05-01 |title=Chinese journalist jailed over 'state secrets' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200505/s1357112.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050430214510/https://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200505/s1357112.htm |archive-date=April 30, 2005 |access-date=2024-01-27 |work=ABC News Online |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-04-30 |title=China Jails Reporter for Leaking 'State Secrets' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=717057 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050503233526/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=717057 |archive-date=May 3, 2005 |access-date=2024-01-27 |work=ABC News International |agency=[[Reuters]] }}</ref> Yahoo! was criticized by [[Reporters Without Borders]] for acting as a "police informant" to increase its profits.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 7, 2005 |title=Yahoo! 'helped jail China writer' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4221538.stm |access-date=May 10, 2011 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> In August 2007, the [[United States Congress]] began an investigation into Yahoo's handling of the case.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kirchgaessner |first=Stephanie |last2=Waters |first2=Richard |date=2007-08-08 |title=Yahoo! faces scrutiny in China case |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20167503/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817195706/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20167503/ |archive-date=August 17, 2007 |access-date=August 8, 2007 |publisher=MSNBC }}</ref> Yahoo! founder [[Jerry Yang (entrepreneur)|Jerry Yang]] testified before Congress.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/news.htm?expressnews&20071107&55&444660 |script-title=zh:中文新聞頻道 |publisher=Rthk.org.hk |language=zh-hk |date=June 29, 2006 |access-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-date=December 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208182519/http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/news.htm?expressnews&20071107&55&444660 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On November 6, 2007, the congressional panel criticized Yahoo! for not giving full details to the [[House Foreign Affairs Committee]] the previous year, stating it had been "at best inexcusably negligent" and at worst "deceptive".<ref>{{cite news |date=November 6, 2007 |title=BBC NEWS, US rebukes Yahoo! over China case |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7081458.stm |access-date=January 30, 2012 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Representative [[Tom Lantos]] described its executives as moral "pygmies".<ref>{{cite web |author=Goel |first=Vindu |date=2007-11-07 |title=Yahoo! may be a moral pygmy, but Congress is hardly better |url=http://blogs.mercurynews.com/vindu/2007/11/07/yahoo-may-be-a-moral-pygmy-but-congress-is-hardly-better/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227133124/http://blogs.mercurynews.com/vindu/2007/11/07/yahoo-may-be-a-moral-pygmy-but-congress-is-hardly-better/ |archive-date=December 27, 2008 |access-date=January 21, 2007 |work=[[The Mercury News]]}}</ref> Yang stated that Yahoo! no longer controlled its Chinese operations, and was collaborating with human rights groups to formulate ethical code for technology companies.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 7, 2007 |title=Yahoo! chief apologizes to Chinese dissidents' relatives |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/business/worldbusiness/07iht-yahoo.1.8226586.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928225043/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/business/worldbusiness/07iht-yahoo.1.8226586.html |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |access-date=January 21, 2007 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref>

In a February 2006 hearing, Yahoo! executives swore that they had received no information about the investigation. Several months later, it was discovered that the document provided to Yahoo! China on April 22, 2004, by the [[Beijing State Security Bureau]] stated that "Your office is in possession of the following items relating to a case of suspected illegal provision of state secrets to foreign entities."<ref>{{cite web |author=Lantos |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Lantos |date=November 6, 2007 |title=Statement of Chairman Lantos at hearing, Yahoo! Inc.'s Provision of False Information to Congress |url=http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/press_display.asp?id=446 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130194728/http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/press_display.asp?id=446 |archive-date=January 30, 2009 |access-date=January 31, 2009 |website=[[United States House of Representatives |US House of Representatives]] |publisher=[[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs |House Committee on Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref>

On November 13, 2007, Yahoo! settled with Shi for an undisclosed sum. Shi was released from prison in September 2013.

===Username bans===
On February 20, 2006, it was revealed that Yahoo! Mail was banning the word "[[Allah]]" in email usernames, both separately and as part of a user name such as <code>linda.callahan</code>.<ref>{{cite news |last=Oates |first=John |date=February 20, 2006 |title=Yahoo!Mail bans Allah and Dirty Harry handles |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/20/yahoo_upsets_religious/ |access-date=June 27, 2007 |work=[[The Register]]}}</ref> Shortly after the news of the ban, it was lifted on February 23, 2006. Along with this action, Yahoo! also made the following statement:<ref>{{cite news |last=Oates |first=John |date=February 26, 2006 |title=Yahoo! unbans! Allah! |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/22/yahoo_unbans_allah/ |access-date=June 27, 2007 |work=[[The Register]]}}</ref>

{{blockquote|We continuously evaluate abuse patterns in registration usernames to help prevent spam, fraud and other inappropriate behavior. A small number of people registered for IDs using specific terms with the sole purpose of promoting hate, and then used those IDs to post content that was harmful or threatening to others, thus violating Yahoo!'s Terms of Service.

'Allah' was one word being used for these purposes, with instances tied to defamatory language. We took steps to help protect our users by prohibiting use of the term in Yahoo! usernames. We recently re-evaluated the term 'Allah' and users can now register for IDs with this word because it is no longer a significant target for abuse. We regularly evaluate this type of activity and will continue to make adjustments to our registration process to help foster a positive customer experience.}}

===Exploit===
In November 2012, an exploit for Yahoo! Mail was sold for $700 by an Egyptian hacker, allowing hijackers to hack Yahoo! Mail user accounts and redirect users to a malicious website. The attack used [[cross-site scripting]] which let hackers steal cookies.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sarkar |first=Avik |date=2012-11-29 |title=Egyptian Hackers Selling Zero-day Exploit of Yahoo! Mail For $700 |url=http://www.voiceofgreyhat.com/2012/11/Egyptian-Hacker-Selling-Zero-day-Exploit-of-Yahoo-Mail.html |access-date=November 29, 2012 |website=Voice of Grey Hat}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Krebs |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Krebs |date=2012-11-23 |title=Yahoo! Email-Stealing Exploit Fetches $700 |url=http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/11/yahoo-email-stealing-exploit-fetches-700/ |access-date=November 12, 2012 |website=Krebs on Security}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Musil |first=Steven |date=2012-11-26 |title=Yahoo! Mail hijacking exploit selling for $700 |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57554589-83/yahoo-mail-hijacking-exploit-selling-for-$700/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127051848/http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57554589-83/yahoo-mail-hijacking-exploit-selling-for-$700/ |archive-date=November 27, 2012 |access-date=November 26, 2012 |website=[[CNET]] }}</ref> In January 2013, hacker and security researcher Shahin Ramezany pointed out another DOM-based XSS loophole that placed 400 million users at risk.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sarkar |first=Avik |date=2013-01-13 |title=Yahoo Mail Hit By XSS Exploit Putting 400 Million Users At Risk |url=http://www.voiceofgreyhat.com/2013/01/Yahoo-Mail-Hit-By-XSS-Exploit.html |access-date=April 20, 2019 |website=Voice of Grey Hat}}</ref>

===Deletion of accounts===
In 2013, Yahoo! deleted accounts that hadn't been logged into for more than 12 months and gave those names to other users. This included accounts that had set up email forwarding to other accounts, who didn't notice and act upon the message to preserve their account. Spillover from this action resulted in some users losing access to accounts on other services as their email resets were no longer forwarded to them, but to the new owner of their former account.<ref>{{cite web |last=Latif |first=Lawrence |date=2013-06-13 |title=Yahoo! to reclaim usernames of inactive accounts |url=https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2274880/yahoo-to-reclaim-usernames-of-inactive-accounts |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617043731/http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2274880/yahoo-to-reclaim-usernames-of-inactive-accounts |archive-date=June 17, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2013 |website=[[The Inquirer]]}}</ref>

===Phishing attack===
From 2007, Yahoo! was the email service used by New Zealand Telecom, which came under criticism in early 2013 following a spam and [[phishing]] attack that was described as the biggest to have ever hit the country.<ref>{{cite news |last=Suo |first=Jenny |date=February 11, 2013 |title=Telecom rush to fix hack |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Telecom-rush-to-fix-Yahoo-Xtra-spam-hack/tabid/412/articleID/286402/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201194648/http://www.3news.co.nz/Telecom-rush-to-fix-Yahoo-Xtra-spam-hack/tabid/412/articleID/286402/Default.aspx |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |work=[[Three (TV channel) |3 News NZ]]}}</ref> Telecom and Yahoo! automatically reset "about 60,000" users' passwords.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 18, 2013 |title=Telecom defends email reset operation |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Telecom-defends-email-reset-operation/tabid/423/articleID/287149/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201194532/http://www.3news.co.nz/Telecom-defends-email-reset-operation/tabid/423/articleID/287149/Default.aspx |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |work=[[Three (TV channel) |3 News NZ]] |quote=Telecom is defending a move to cancel the passwords of about 60,000 Yahoo! Xtra customers which left some customers without access to their email accounts.}}</ref> In April, Telecom announced that despite the issue, it would retain Yahoo! as an email provider.<ref>{{cite news |last=Satherley |first=Dan |date=April 5, 2013 |title=Telecom sticks with Yahoo! email |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Telecom-sticks-with-Yahoo-email-despite-hack/tabid/421/articleID/293130/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201194645/http://www.3news.co.nz/Telecom-sticks-with-Yahoo-email-despite-hack/tabid/421/articleID/293130/Default.aspx |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |access-date=April 4, 2013 |work=[[Three (TV channel) |3 News NZ]]}}</ref>

===Account theft===
On October 3, 2017, Yahoo! reported that all Yahoo! user accounts, approximately 3 billion, were affected by the previously announced August 2013 theft of accounts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-03 |title=Exhibit |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/732712/000073271217000003/a2017_10x3xoathxexhibitx991.htm |access-date=October 8, 2017 |website=[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |SEC]]}}</ref> This information updates the December 14, 2016, announcement that more than 1 billion user accounts were hacked in a breach that had occurred in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goel |first=Vindu |last2=Perlroth |first2=Nicole |date=December 14, 2016 |title=Yahoo! says 1 Billion User Accounts were hacked |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/technology/yahoo-hack.html?_r=0 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226193445/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/technology/yahoo-hack.html?_r=0 |archive-date=December 26, 2017 |access-date=December 15, 2016 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> Earlier that year in September, Yahoo! announced that an additional 500 million user accounts had been breached in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fiegerman |first=Seth |date=September 23, 2016 |title=Yahoo! says 500 million accounts stolen |url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/22/technology/yahoo-data-breach/ |access-date=December 15, 2016 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref> The company was said to have discovered about the breach that affected hundreds of millions of accounts years before their initial announcement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tsukayama |first=Hayley |last2=Timberg |first2=Craig |last3=Fung |first3=Brian |date=September 22, 2016 |title=Yahoo! data breach casts 'cloud' over Verizon deal |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/09/22/report-yahoo-to-confirm-data-breach-affecting-hundreds-of-millions-of-accounts/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922235137/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/09/22/report-yahoo-to-confirm-data-breach-affecting-hundreds-of-millions-of-accounts/ |archive-date=September 22, 2016 |access-date=December 15, 2016 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref>

===Automated scanning of email content===
The contents of Yahoo! Mail messages are scanned for the purposes of [[targeted advertising]], in contrast to its main competitors [[Gmail]] (which ended the practice in late 2017) and [[Outlook.com]] (which did not employ the practice).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/yahoo-bucking-industry-scans-emails-for-data-to-sell-advertisers-1535466959|title=Yahoo, Bucking Industry, Scans Emails for Data to Sell Advertisers|last1=MacMillan|first1=Douglas|date=August 28, 2018|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=August 28, 2018|last2=Krouse|first2=Sarah|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660|last3=Hagey|first3=Keach}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=April 13, 2018 |title=Yahoo and AOL just gave themselves the right to read your emails (again) |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/yahoo-aol-oath-privacy-policy-verizon-emails-messages/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416040213/https://www.cnet.com/news/yahoo-aol-oath-privacy-policy-verizon-emails-messages/ |archive-date=April 16, 2018 |access-date=August 28, 2018 |work=[[CNET]] |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schofield |first=Jack |date=April 19, 2018 |title=What's the best email service that doesn't scan emails for ad-targeting? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2018/apr/19/whats-the-best-email-service-that-doesnt-scan-emails-for-ad-targeting |access-date=August 28, 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref>

=== Content sharing with the National Security Agency ===
In 2015, [[Reuters]] reported that Yahoo! has implemented a functionality to scan all incoming emails for specific keywords and share email content in real time with the US [[National Security Agency]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Menn |first=Joseph |date=2016-10-05 |title=Exclusive: Yahoo secretly scanned customer emails for U.S. intelligence - sources |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yahoo-nsa-exclusive-idUSKCN1241YT |url-access=registration |access-date=2020-03-17 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Platforms==
The mobile app for Yahoo! Mail can be downloaded from the [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]] for [[iOS]], and the [[Google Play]] Store for [[Android (operating system)|Android]]. Both versions of the app perform the same function, but are tailored to the mobile device's operating system. Some characteristics include replying to a message by opening a notification and separately archiving, deleting and starring notifications. It is available in several languages.<ref name="etimes">{{cite web |date=October 26, 2016 |title=From Tamil to Bengali, Yahoo! Mail android app gets seven new Indian languages |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/from-tamil-to-bengali-yahoo-mail-android-app-gets-seven-new-indian-languages/articleshow/55070171.cms |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031070111/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/from-tamil-to-bengali-yahoo-mail-android-app-gets-seven-new-indian-languages/articleshow/55070171.cms |archive-date=2016-10-31 |access-date=February 5, 2017 |website=[[The Economic Times]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Comparison of webmail providers]]
* [[List of Yahoo!-owned sites and services]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://mail.yahoo.com/}}

{{Yahoo!}}

[[Category:Yahoo! Mail| ]]
[[Category:Yahoo!|Mail]]
[[Category:Android (operating system) software]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1997]]
[[Category:IOS software]]
[[Category:Personal information managers]]
[[Category:Universal Windows Platform apps]]
[[Category:Webmail]]
[[Category:Web applications]]
[[Category:Yahoo! community websites]]