Broadband Tech > Security > Security > Yahoo chat & mobile text

Yahoo chat & mobile text

Yes to your question.

If it was up to me a cell phone would be just that a cell phone no text mess. no IM's and no Internet.

reply to Blue2
Did you do any other activity concerning your Yahoo account on any other part of the site or any other affiliate (Flickr, etc)?

The java version of the chat has been implemented in the web interface for quite some time now. I remember when I first discovered it was enabled, as well, and was confused. I have just left it offline, but obviously your point is that it got enabled without prompting or desire.

I guess my thoughts on this are, "Hey, at least it's not as Orwellian as Google."

reply to koma3504
That's how mine works. Do you meant that all those other things can be done on a cell phone?!?!

provided if the cell phone is capeable of those things.

reply to Blue2
Maybe Yahoo is not doing well here. There are lots of more serious businesses out there than AUTOMATIC CHATTING in your mailbox.

It's would be nice if Yahoo can remove the Chat & Text feature or give ability to disable it permanently, when you dont want it.

reply to Blue2
Hello. Same happened to me today.
Ramdon chat texts just keep apprearing everytime I log in to check my yahoo mail.
Is there anyway to disable it? .. As logging off 'yahoo chat and text' just ends it for that session, and the next time I log on to check my mail - there it is again..!!
I havent added myself to any other services and do not really want this added extra feature where random strangers can just chat to me via this annoying pop up box.
Plus can they not also see your mailing add then..? and does that not then violate data protection policies..?

reply to Blue2
I appreciate someone opening this thread. I have two separate Yahoo e-mail accounts and both of them prompted me with a request to activate the text and message functionality this morning. The choices were "No Thanks" and "Sign me up" with a little check box ticked off to "Remind me later" under the "No Thanks".

I opted for No on both accounts, but I already had a pop-up from a friend's Windows Messanger Live requesting that they be able to add me to their friend list for chat. I assume the two are related.

I am sure that in the yahoo account preferences, where I can activate/de-activate the feature.

I know that after getting a ton of annoying text messages on my Verizon Cell Phone a few years ago, I called up Verizon Wireless and had them turn OFF the text messaging feature, so it is acting strictly as a phone.

Good luck

reply to Blue2
Hi,
how can I get rid of this "functionality". In my mail it appears I'm offline, but it's still there.

reply to Blue2
Yes, the issue for me was that this new "feature" was activated by default, and not user initiated, therefore leaving one with an instant popup BEFORE even knowing that the service had been activated. That seemed to me to be the stupidest business decision ever, exposing all to at best an annoyance and at worse a security risk depending on where the chat request came from.

As I remember, I changed my preference to be offline, signed out of my mailbox, cleared my cache/private data and shut down Firefox. Then I re-opened and logged back on to yahoo and did not see further chat popups.

I see. my problem is that I have no pop up chat messages, but I want to get rid of the yahoo Chat & Mobile Text option in the left, because it almost kills the speed mail loads.

I think I may just contact the folks at Yahoo and tell them..maybe you guys should do the same...If they get more than 1 email, maybe they can take the feature off, or look into it and not load it without user permissions!!

reply to Blue2
A customer called this morning freaked out about this. He's had some run-ins with hackers and thought he'd been hacked again. I have half a mind to call Yahoo and let them know how much their small business customers 'appreciate' them adding this feature out of the blue.

reply to Blue2
According to Yahoo you can't disable this "feature":

"Please note that you cannot remove the new feature from your Classic Mail but you can disable it so it doesn’t sign you in when you go to Mail. When the page loads, look for the IM contact list on the left hand side. Click where your status says “Available” and instead select “Sign out of Chat”. This will disable the feature and will persist when you leave Mail and come back.

After you’ve tried the new IM and SMS features in Yahoo! Mail Classic, feel free to send us feedback about your experience.

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager" [of Yahoo]

Complain loudly enough and perhaps the silly goofs will remove it!

reply to Blue2
That damn thing is annoying! When are these programmer going to get it? It's not good practice to force people to have these interrupting your of you activities with some stupid popup. Arrrggggghhhh!

reply to Blue2
if yahoo continues with this feature without giving me the option of turning it of permanently, I will move to their competitors, gmail. buggers.

reply to Blue2
Yahoo has driven it's self out of the business as it is becoming a worthless tool, pushing nonsense down our throats. The fact that I can not be invisable on this Mail chatbox is a force of yahoo control over the users privacy.

reply to Blue2
The concern that I have, and that all of us should have is how was this implemented.

Yahoo must have inspected my Address Book (stored on-line)and/or have extracted addresses from e-mails sent/received by me. Either action appears to be a violation of Wiretap Laws in effect since 1930's.

Then, Yahoo and others must have collated the e-mail addresses and stored these in their system (read database). This database is now a property of Yahoo and other organizations.

Consider the potential for harm that can be done to individuals because there is someone on their contact list that may have undesirable qualities. Instant "Guilt by Association".

Yahoo is pushing a product that actually works against you. My answer is to continue using multiple throw-away e-mail addresses and absolutely never provide factual data when registering.