Yahoo Admits to Blocking Wall Street Protest Emails

FOCUS | Scalia Resigns Post As Scoutmaster

PBS and the Koch Brother Scandal

Reagan's Chickens Home to Roost?

FOCUS | The Mad Science of the National Debt

FOCUS | The Biggest Criminal Enterprise in History

Lee Fang reports: "ThinkProgress has reviewed claims that Yahoo is censoring e-mails relating to the protest and found that after several attempts on multiple accounts, we too were prevented from sending messages about the 'Occupy Wall Street' demonstrations."

Yahoo blocked users from sending e-mails about the OccupyWallSt.org website with a message claiming 'suspicious activity,' 09/20/11. (photo: ThinkProgress)

Comments

We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.

General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.

Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.

- The RSN Team

+149 # Stumper 2011-09-20 20:11

If you believe the blocking was unintentional, I have some property in Florida or a bridge in Brooklyn that I'm sure you would find attractive!

+8 # AndreM5 2011-09-21 06:39

I wonder is this affects all accounts admin through Yahoo or only their "free service?" Yahoo handles a huge number of paid services as well (SBC, ATT, etc.).

+5 # NanFan 2011-09-23 03:25

Quoting Stumper:

If you believe the blocking was unintentional, I have some property in Florida or a bridge in Brooklyn that I'm sure you would find attractive!

Yahoo IS Big Business! No surprise with America getting worse and worse and worse.

Sickening...that's my word lately, isn't it? Sorry, but EVERYTHING keeps getting more and more sickening in our government and our financial district, if you can imagine "worse" after the disastrous actions during the Bush/Cheney fascist regime.

I'll say it again...sickeni ng, Yahoo! Sickening! How dare you "block" anyone wanting to peacefully protest in America? Shame on you!!

N.

+48 # dfvboulder 2011-09-20 20:22

Sent emails to everyone in my address book with Yahoo account. If we all did that...

+6 # AndreM5 2011-09-21 06:43

FWIW I just sent and received thru Yahoo emails with the title: "Occupy Wall Street, OccupyWallStree t.org" with the same words in the message. They transmitted immediately.

+127 # DPM 2011-09-20 20:25

And most people still think this is a free country. A democracy. It is slipping away folks. Wake up!

+62 # ER444 2011-09-20 23:33

Democracy slipped away 12 years ago when the Supreme Court appointed George Bush president. Now the Military has Obama so scared he is doing nothing about illegal prisons, illegal wars and prosecuting the past illegal activities of our so alled "leaders" who got us into this mess. Democracy is dead.

+27 # genierae 2011-09-21 08:41

Democracy never really existed in America ER444, it was all an illusion. We were given a faux democracy so that we wouldn't catch on to the real story of America which is Survival of the Richest. Each generation of Americans have become dumber and more ignorant, with bread and circuses for all, white supremacy, manifest destiny, and look out Native Americans and blacks. Let's not kid ourselves, its the American way.

+45 # noitall 2011-09-20 22:50

If it seems its getting worse (by it I mean IT ALL) that's because it is! The move is on. The greedy cowards are pulling out the stops. We should ALL be out in the streets. That is what it will take. The "news" won't cover it, people have to see people in the street EVERYWHERE with signs urging them to join in. THEN maybe our cowardly and greedy, scared-for-thei r-job "leaders" will act. We are a huge majority if we decide we've had enough. Oh, not quite ready yet, eh? Don't wait too much longer, THEY're lining up their men.

+46 # mmbooklover 2011-09-21 00:09

I have just thoroughly deleted my Yahoo account. Of course, now that Yahoo owns FLICKr, I had to also give up my FLICKr account (which represented years of time and energy) in the process. I have had it with corporate nonsense. Glad to be rid of both Yahoo and FLICKr. Their loss.

+34 # sagedragon 2011-09-21 06:52

My account is also now deleted. Didn't use FLICkr but Yahoo is now dead to me. I also posted to all of the Yahoo Groups about why I was leaving. Maybe this will go viral and bring down Yahoo. One can always hope...

+9 # steve98052 2011-09-21 14:38

One doesn't really need to delete Yahoo -- just notify them that you will never click through on any of their ads unless they set a clear, binding policy against politically-mot ivated censorship.

By contrast, Google has the motto "Don't be evil", and has largely lived up to it. They broke that policy by surrendering to China's demands for censorship, but made amends by withdrawing from business there, presumably until China changes its policies.

Even Microsoft, nicknamed the "Evil Empire" for its frequently anti-competitiv e business practices, is a good corporate citizen in terms of standing up to governmental abuses of power. Most visibly, when Russia tried to suppress an environmental group near Lake Baikal on pretense of enforcement of anti-piracy laws, Microsoft responded by demanding that charges be dropped. (The charges were specious anyway, since the group was already had completely legal software.) In addition, they set a policy meant to prevent repressive governments from pulling the same stunt again.

Sure, Google and Microsoft are monopolistic giants, but they're doing the right thing in terms of freedom of communications. Yahoo should follow their example.

+4 # Anarchist 23 2011-09-21 18:32

Didn't Google sponsor the Perry Romney thing along with CNN? Just one more example of controlled consolidated media. The thing has been set in motion-in my lifetime certainly it was the JFK Assassination-a nd has built up enough force to run its course. The next move will be our militarized police in the streets against the protestors-arre sting people for writing in chalk-oh the horror-in this day of electronic media-writing in chalk!! It demonstrates their (The Rulers) mindset of fear-and fear will make them do crazy things. I just hope the people are savvy enough to remain non-provoked by all the agent provocateurs TPTB send into their midst!

+3 # steve98052 2011-09-21 21:17

As far as I'm aware, a gathering where eight wingnuts of varying degrees of craziness debate each other in pursuit of nomination as candidates for the presidency is news. CNN is a news organization, the debate is news, thus CNN is right to be there. If they had to co-sponsor it -- even with Teabaggers -- to report that news, they're doing what it takes to show the world how dangerous they are.

I had no idea that Google was another co-sponsor, but they have a news division, and the debate was news, so it makes sense that they were there too.

Again, giving wingnuts a platform to show off how dangerous they are is a _good_ thing. After seeing the debate, or even following the reporting on it, more people will be aware of how bad they are.

+56 # Ralph Averill 2011-09-21 00:14

I would be less concerned about Yahoo and more concerned about what government agency, (Homeland Security? NSA?, FBI?) Yahoo was working with or for, and probably monitoring all Wall St. protest communications. E-mails, texts, and phone.

+32 # Billy Bob 2011-09-21 08:36

They've openly said that's what they're doing. That what the "patriot act" is really about. It has very little to do with terrorism and a lot more to do with a power grab by people who think liberals have too many rights.

+34 # overanddone 2011-09-21 01:36

Dump Yahoo now, for incompetence or censorship, its the only vote that counts.

+13 # Glen 2011-09-21 03:20

Time for any who protest or have plans in the future, to become more creative in the efforts.

It's pathetic that it might be necessary to develop similar to the Enigma code, or bring in a relatively unknown language to communicate these messages.

+27 # deadhead 2011-09-21 04:01

Until everyone stops using Verizon, Yahoo and Google, we will happily be abrogating our own freedoms and led like lambs to . . . hmmm.

Like DPM said -- wake up! Don't think fascist activities can't happen here again in the name of "freedom": Japanese internment, trail of tears and on and on.

+24 # futhark 2011-09-21 04:33

You will always be free to hoist an American flag in your front yard, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and buy more ammo for your hunting rifles and handguns. You can also go shopping at any of the fine box stores and fast food franchise outlets whenever you want. Isn't that what is meant by a "free country"?

+16 # Billy Bob 2011-09-21 08:37

That certainly is what's meant by a "discount" country having a going out of business sale.

+12 # trottydt 2011-09-21 04:34

COMMON ASSAULT! Have reduced usage of my Yahoo E-mail for some time now.

+30 # Billy Bob 2011-09-21 04:47

If North Korea did the same thing you'd probably hear about on TV or the radio.

+27 # Hardy 2011-09-21 04:57

"Yahoo Must Go"
We can easily wipe Yahoo off the map in one month. I am switching from Yahoo today. Please join me!

+9 # DurangoKid 2011-09-21 06:30

Vote with your fingers!

+23 # fredboy 2011-09-21 05:08

Two words: scrap Yahoo.

+30 # kelly 2011-09-21 05:17

Are we really so surprised? This is from a company that provided the Chinese government with Shi Tao's IP in 2005, just recently settled with the FCC about child predators and were involved with cyber attacksthat made Google threaten to leave china in 2010. Why shouldn't they protect Wall Street? I wonder howhigh their stock will go today?

+15 # stefanie_s 2011-09-21 06:10

Amerika has become New China. After all, we're owned by them and all the goods we get are made and sold by them. It follows suit that our society has become just like theirs. Democracy has been dead for many years now. In the least case scenario it is Corporatism, worst case scenario is Fascism. I"m thinking it's a little of both right now.

+9 # DurangoKid 2011-09-21 06:29

This is yet one more indication that corporate capitalism is antithetical to democracy. In a free market you're free to be corporate.

+8 # Capn Canard 2011-09-21 07:02

I haven't used Yahoo in years... but that doesn't mean any other internet portal is safe from abusive actions toward subscribers. I think Facebook is a fuster-cluck as well as Myspace, Google and I believe that all others could be open to this potential abuse.

+12 # michelle 2011-09-21 08:10

This is our most effective weapon, drop service and boycott companies. Look at what happened to Netflix over rate hikes. August saw the stock at $304/share and yesterday it was $129/share. You can be heard. If not now, when?

Call yahoo and let them know why you are dropping service. It is difficult to do these things because we are so dependent on the internet for communication but it must be done. Call major media and ask why no coverage of Wall Street. Send mail to major network broadcasters like Williams, Sawyer, and the PBS Newshour asking them how they made the switch from journalist to propagandist. Call them on this behavior. What's the old saying... If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

+10 # Billy Bob 2011-09-21 08:42

I'm all for dropping yahoo. BUT, we need to all do it together at the same time and tell as many people as possible. It needs to be a BIG DAMN DEAL. Otherwise, it's a big waste of time.

Also, could any of you give some feedback about who would be the best service to REPLACE yahoo? I'm ignorant about it. Who has a better reputation for not engaging in this kind of censorship? Who, among those comapanies, would be easy to transfer important aspects of your account to?

I've always saved email messages. I have about 20,000 of them in my yahoo account right now. I'd hate to just delete all of them. Some of them contain important info.

Can anyone help me with the logistics of this? I can't be the only one who's an idiot about this.

+6 # michelle 2011-09-21 10:59

Sorry, don't know who/what is better but if we select one company maybe the others will get the message. The saved email can be transferred to a folder, desktop folder, and saved to a flashdrive or other device. I always save and back up important emails from workplace, publisher etc. but I worry about cyberspace more than most. 20,000 will take some time but doable. Important ones should be backed up anyway. I have a computer nerd in the house so I have remained mostly an idiot about these things.

ps. love the Freudian slip, "comapanies". Coma panies sounds more like corporate America is behaving.

+4 # Billy Bob 2011-09-21 16:27

I didn't even notice the Freudian slip until you pointed it out. I even reread it and didn't notice. My spelling isn't perfect, but that really was an interesting mistake.

+5 # Glen 2011-09-21 12:06

You are not an idiot about this, Billy. All it takes is time. And a lot of it, to go through your e mails, after setting up, say, a hotmail account, and then forwarding the e mails you want to that account. Or, you could print them out.

I've known folks who had to do that, or wanted to do that. Somebody on here may know a faster method. If not, remember to be patient, kind to yourself, and take the occasional constitutional.

+4 # Billy Bob 2011-09-21 16:35

I guess it'll give me something to do DURING the constitutional.

+6 # steve98052 2011-09-21 14:44

Although Google is a monopolistic giant, and surrendered to China on censorship some time ago, they reversed themselves on the China blunder and withdrew from business there. They're the good guys in terms of avoiding censorship. (It's eerie how much they know about their users, of course, but that's a problem everywhere.) Besides being owned by a comparatively good corporate citizen, Gmail is the most capable web mail service.

Alternatively, you could withdraw from web mail altogether, and use a client-based mail service like Outlook Express. But that ties your e-mail to one computer, which is quite an inconvenience compared to web mail.

+5 # kootenayguy 2011-09-21 08:47

Remember "Okie from Muskogee," the Merle Haggard song from 1969? "We like livin' right and being' free." Forty-two years later, the same mindset rules.

+8 # Billy Bob 2011-09-21 12:10

I drove through Muskogee one time and there was a dead labrador retriever in the middle of an intersection that had obviously been there for several days. It was summer and the carcass was bloated and covered with flies. You could smell it as soon as you got near the intersection.

No one felt any sense of personal responsibility or community duty to do anything about it. People just kept driving by the rotted pet. No police, no citizen, no nothin'.

I didn't do anything either. I don't feel ashamed of that fact. It was a conscious effort on my part not to clean up the mess of a town filled with repugs who felt no responsibility to their community. For all I know, it's still there to this day.

Just an anecdote. I only bring it up, because to me, it was a pretty good illustration of the very mindset you're refering to in "action", or in this case, in inaction.

+11 # damotclese 2011-09-21 10:17

But they're STILL claiming it was an accident. They're admitting that their systems blocked opposition to corporate fascism but the corporate fascists are claiming it was unintentional.

+5 # DLT888 2011-09-21 10:17

It's a reason I'm getting rid of my Gmail account. I've gotten that same exact message as above.

+4 # El-Stooge-o 2011-09-21 14:56

So they are wrong to do this. And they're idiots if they think anyone believes that it's unintentional, but who really cares? Okay, I guess I care because their intentions are evil. But do I care in terms of the impact this will have? Hell no, because no self-respecting protestor or anarchist or counter-culture demonstrator is going to coordinate direct action using Yahoo! e-mail. If you want a great way to plan on the fly and improvise electronically at the last second? Consider an Apple app instead. Like "Lets Do This" in which you can move people to places where they are needed or where they need to avoid trouble on the fly in real-time, instantly. Yahoo!Mail? Get serious. It's slightly more current than an AOL dial-up.

+5 # Seneca 2011-09-21 15:18

I am totally down for dropping yahoo from everything, but does anyone know of a free email service provider that I could switch to. Also, the internet is being controlled already, just try finding out what the Chinese government's minimum mpg for manufacturers is..

+6 # RagingLiberal 2011-09-21 16:48

Google mail is free. And Seneca, we know the Chinese censor EVERYTHING. That means what they put on the web, not just what their people can see.

+9 # RagingLiberal 2011-09-21 16:50

I've had my yahoo account for 15years. Closing it today, AND sending them a message why!

+11 # Ronv 2011-09-21 16:30

A group I was with ran several tests in 2000/2001 and found that Yahoo were blocking posts concerning the 2001 Inauguration protests as well as follow-on blogs about the illegitimacy of the Bush presidency. When it became apparent this web portal was far from being politically neutral, we quit using them.

+4 # jerryball 2011-09-22 15:41

Have a Yahoo email account? Close it and move to gmail.com.

Refresh comments list
RSS feed for comments to this post

THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community.

Name:	*
Username:	*
E-mail:	*
Password:	*
Confirm password:	*
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.