Yahoo promises one-click email encryption

(03-16 16:54)

Yahoo says it plans to introduce end to end encryption'' for email this year to boost privacy protection for users. The company demonstrated new security and safety features for its email service at the South by Southwest festival in the US state of Texas. The new security feature aims to allow non-technical people to use encryption with the click of a button after an initial setup of a few minutes. A test or beta version of the encryption software is being released for developers, and it is expected to be rolled out to users in the coming months. Our goal is to have this available by the end of the year,'' Alex Stamos, Yahoo's chief information security officer, told AFP. Anybody who has the ability to write an email should have no problem using our email encryption.'' Privacy advocates say encryption is a valuable tool in thwarting unwanted snooping, but many users find the process daunting, with a need to create complex codes or keys'' for both the sender and receiver. Yahoo has been collaborating with Google and its Gmail service on the encryption, and the standards will be compatible, Stamos said, so Yahoo and Gmail users will be able to send each other encrypted messages with a single click. I think anybody who uses email in the center of our life needs encryption,'' Stamos said. If you send emails to your spouse or your lawyer or family members, you want to have these messages be confidential.''

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Yahoo promises one-click email encryption