To: Marissa Meyer, CEO Yahoo
Yahoo Mail: Stop charging a fee to actually close accounts
Stop charging users to deactivate their accounts, and give new users clear instructions on how to close the account and what it could cost.
Why is this important?
After my Yahoo email account was hacked for the second time last year, I deactivated my account. Imagine my surprise when I recently learned that contacts of mine are still receiving spam from my defunct account. As a therapist it is problematic that an email coming from my identity with the subject “How are you?” could potentially harm the computer of a friend, colleague or even client.
When I contacted Yahoo tech support, they told me they would require a fee of $49.99 to delete the account. Their explanation was that a hacker from Canada was able to reactivate the account after I deactivated it online, but before Yahoo deleted it from their server. I could not access the account, nor could I stop the spam without paying this ransom. The consequences for me are serious, but could have been even worse. From cyber-bullying to official persecution, the way we manage our online identities can have real-world repercussions, and each of us must have the freedom to make our own choices online.
Privacy and control of our online identities are concerns shared by most internet users. Please sign the petition to Yahoo to cease its extortionist practices, and share this story so all internet users are aware that creating an email account with this company means you may need to pay to close the account.
When I contacted Yahoo tech support, they told me they would require a fee of $49.99 to delete the account. Their explanation was that a hacker from Canada was able to reactivate the account after I deactivated it online, but before Yahoo deleted it from their server. I could not access the account, nor could I stop the spam without paying this ransom. The consequences for me are serious, but could have been even worse. From cyber-bullying to official persecution, the way we manage our online identities can have real-world repercussions, and each of us must have the freedom to make our own choices online.
Privacy and control of our online identities are concerns shared by most internet users. Please sign the petition to Yahoo to cease its extortionist practices, and share this story so all internet users are aware that creating an email account with this company means you may need to pay to close the account.