[tor-talk] Logging in to Yahoo e-mail accounts now failing???

grarpamp grarpamp at gmail.com
Fri May 20 08:17:02 UTC 2011


> If yahoo is actually rejecting log-in attempts based on perceived
> geographical information, what do they think that they are achieving?

I can speak for no one else... however I think that any provider of online
services that does this is foolish. First, and let's be frank, all providers
of online services (mail, shopping, personals, search, etc) rely on you,
their customer, be you paying or ad-supported, to be with them, to
remain in business and to make money. Whether you come from
a proxy or not, you see their ads or pay them money or build their base.
Further, in this day and age, global travelers, especially paying ones, are
very common, and valuable to the economy. To lock out an account
because yesterday it was accessed from the US and today from Bahrain,
especially with
such services provided entirely via https, is flat out ridiculous.
Further, those
who really care to take protection of their identity into their own hands,
while STILL valuing the service by seeing the ads or paying the subscription
fee, should be cherished by the provider of such services. Sure, they may be
limited in what they can still sell about the user on the backside,
but still, that
is a monetizable revenue stream. And further, business, personal, and
contracting people DO travel, access different LAN's and have various
work/personal ethics to uphold. Therefore their use of proxy networks,
or
VPN's, such as Tor, to do so, are completely appropriate.

Honestly, any company that bars access from such networks
should be called into question. And MOST certainly any one
that does not allow the user to remain in control of both their
authentication and usage via https, and their location and privacy
via proxy services.

I write this merely because I'm certain many of these businesses
are shadowing this list and need to understand their customers
points of view. Your clients do like you, refer others to you, and
DO want to use you. Just not when you do needless things like
blocking travelers or users of various proxy/vpn networks.

I would pay hard cash, via anonymous money order, or cash in
the mail to be able to donate to certain commercial services I like.
Perhaps in reference to a certain account, or anonymously in
support of the service itself. You guys are missing a HUGE market
share by not allowing this and insisting on personalized credit card, etc.


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