Class action claiming Yahoo intercepted email for advertising analysis gets OK from federal judge
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A federal judge has given the green light to a class action alleging Yahoo Inc. invaded the privacy of non-Yahoo account holders by analyzing—for advertising purposes— email they sent to Yahoo Mail accounts.
The suit says Yahoo violated the federal Stored Communications Act by searching the email for keywords that would help the company target ads to Yahoo Mail subscribers, Reuters reports.
A group of nonsubscribers to Yahoo Mail who resided in California after Oct. 2, 2012 can also sue under the state’s Invasion of Privacy Act, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, ruled Tuesday.
A Yahoo spokeswoman told Reuters that the company cannot comment on active litigation.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages along with a court order barring Yahoo from continuing to scan their email content.
