Yahoo won't give email to father of dead soldier
12-30-2004, 02:42 PM
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Yahoo won't give email to father of dead soldier
See this article: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/interne...dier.email.ap/
I think Yahoo is being absurd here. The father is the executor of his son's estate. Why can't he have his email? Note, the father and son exchanged many emails and talked about saving and printing out all their discussions and letters, but then the soldier was killed. The father says he wants the emails for his other younger children so they can come to know, via his writing, their brother. I think Yahoo's ethical stance here is way out of line. Think about it - as the executor of his estate he has access to everything else - safe deposit boxes, financial information... why should email be any different? Because it is "technology"? I heard this story on NPR and they interviewed the father. The Yahoo spokesman said something to the effect that email is "different" and people say things without thinking too hard... Such a lame "new paradigm" techno-babble point of view vs. a father of a Marine who died in a war for his country getting some bit of memories of his son.
I think Yahoo is being absurd here. The father is the executor of his son's estate. Why can't he have his email? Note, the father and son exchanged many emails and talked about saving and printing out all their discussions and letters, but then the soldier was killed. The father says he wants the emails for his other younger children so they can come to know, via his writing, their brother. I think Yahoo's ethical stance here is way out of line. Think about it - as the executor of his estate he has access to everything else - safe deposit boxes, financial information... why should email be any different? Because it is "technology"? I heard this story on NPR and they interviewed the father. The Yahoo spokesman said something to the effect that email is "different" and people say things without thinking too hard... Such a lame "new paradigm" techno-babble point of view vs. a father of a Marine who died in a war for his country getting some bit of memories of his son.
12-30-2004, 03:10 PM
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It's one thing if they already deleted them but to just flat out say "buzz off" to the family of a dead soldier that's just wrong.
It's called following the spirit of the law not the letter.
It's called following the spirit of the law not the letter.
12-30-2004, 03:21 PM
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For what it is worth, I sent a letter on this to almost every department at Fox News. Sounds like a story right up their alley and I hope they make Yahoo look like a bunch of yahoos.
12-30-2004, 03:42 PM
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Originally Posted by deke
I think Yahoo's ethical stance here is way out of line. Think about it - as the executor of his estate he has access to everything else - safe deposit boxes, financial information... why should email be any different? Because it is "technology"?
I agree with Yahoo's decision. It is a tough decision, but the correct one which gives me comfort being a Yahoo user. If the soldier wanted his family to have access to his e-mail account, he could have given them the password. If he did not because he never read what he electronically signed, shame on him. Privacy is private and a deal is a deal.
I would support Yahoo giving the *option* of granting a user the right to give an estate executor passwords, but that was not how the agreement was written.
12-30-2004, 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by BlingBlingBlue
I would support Yahoo giving the *option* of granting a user the right to give an estate executor passwords, but that was not how the agreement was written.
12-30-2004, 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by BlingBlingBlue
It is a black and white issue - it would violate the TOS this soldier agreed to when he created his e-mail account to provide his password to anybody except the owner of the account.
I agree with Yahoo's decision. It is a tough decision, but the correct one which gives me comfort being a Yahoo user. If the soldier wanted his family to have access to his e-mail account, he could have given them the password. If he did not because he never read what he electronically signed, shame on him. Privacy is private and a deal is a deal.
I would support Yahoo giving the *option* of granting a user the right to give an estate executor passwords, but that was not how the agreement was written.
I agree with Yahoo's decision. It is a tough decision, but the correct one which gives me comfort being a Yahoo user. If the soldier wanted his family to have access to his e-mail account, he could have given them the password. If he did not because he never read what he electronically signed, shame on him. Privacy is private and a deal is a deal.
I would support Yahoo giving the *option* of granting a user the right to give an estate executor passwords, but that was not how the agreement was written.
Last edited by FW Motorsports; 12-30-2004 at 07:39 PM. Reason: I used :banana: first
12-30-2004, 08:00 PM
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Oaf aren't you one of the people who thought that the quartermasters who didn't go into conflict in Iraq becasue their vehicles weren't properly armored? Whats the difference between their contract and this one?
12-30-2004, 09:03 PM
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Originally Posted by ftnssn
Oaf aren't you one of the people who thought that the quartermasters who didn't go into conflict in Iraq becasue their vehicles weren't properly armored?
Originally Posted by ftnssn
Whats the difference between their contract and this one?
How can you say that cowards refusing to do their job is in the same plane as a private company(covering their @ss) refusing the father of a dead Marine to have "letters' that his son wrote?
I have no idea what you have experienced in your life.
No idea if you've had a mother/father/brother/sister/son/daughter die.
I have.
And I'd do anything to spend one more minute with them, to know what they were thinking/feeling, to know what they wanted, and even if it wasn't all good news, I still want to know.
Holding in my hands, my dead son's thoughts is more important than "potential financial loss" of a company.
Yahoo really ****ed the dog with this one, and I won't be surprised if Yahoo experiences a financial loss because of it.
12-31-2004, 01:20 AM
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Nonetheless, a contracts a contract. He signed and thats the way it goes, worse things have happened to people than not getting someones email. People have forgotten to change their wills and states and probate courts have gotten everything, shouldn't you feel sorry for them too?
12-31-2004, 10:10 AM
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Originally Posted by ericdared81
So because yahoo doesn't have the foresight to put that "option" in their agreement they just have to live with not having their son's e-mails becuase yahoo would know better then his parents?
Like I said, a deal is a deal.
Playing devil's advocate here, how does anyone know whether or not this guy's e-mail account contained private things which he would not want others in his family to see?
As it stands right now, I will potentially be the executor of three people's estates, if I am lucky enough to live longer than these folks. I know the passwords to their internet accounts and on-line financial statements which they want me to know. As do those who will look after my estate when I die. I would think that these types of issues would be considered by a person going to war. It is unfortunate that this was not considered, but it is not Yahoo's fault. A deal is a deal.
12-31-2004, 10:20 AM
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Originally Posted by ftnssn
Nonetheless, a contracts a contract. He signed and thats the way it goes, worse things have happened to people than not getting someones email. People have forgotten to change their wills and states and probate courts have gotten everything, shouldn't you feel sorry for them too?
Please...
We're not talking about being a heir to an estate or liquid assets, we're talking about a series of words being glued together via binary.
Worst case scenario the Father finds he bought a subscription to Penthouse or videos from Vivid. I'm sure he knew where his collection of playboys was hidden as a child. Who ****ing cares! Yahoo has nothing to loose in this situation and can be the bigger man IMHO.
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