Yahoo prices for spying
By Ria Sharma

Internet giant Yahoo has been quite successful in India.  It is now common knowledge that terrorists, criminals and their like misuse mail services and other applications provided by tech companies like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo.  And that the security services of each country work with these tech companies to track down these criminals bent on causing death and destruction on the innocent public. It is also widely known that some autocratic Governments misuse this to spy on their own people.

So, how much does Yahoo charge the US Government for providing these services?  Whistleblower site Cryptome published leaked documents that reveal that Yahoo keeps the IP address from which a user logs in for 1 year.  But it has your IP (Computer address) which you used to create a new account since 1999.  Yahoo charges the US Government between $30 and $40 for the effort of handing over an email account once it receives a Court authorized warrant.  Yahoo will charge $40 - $80 for handing over a Yahoo Group to the US Government. Yahoo keeps IM logs for up to 60 days.  We have to keep in mind that this is only done after a Court directs Yahoo to do so.

Why is this being discussed on the internet?  Only because Yahoo objected to a Freedom of Request Information filed in USA.  As soon as the objection was raised someone leaked it to whistleblower site Cryptome.  Yahoo then sent a legal letter to Cryptome saying this was copyright information. This was the trigger to pique media interest. Soon, America’s most awarded tech magazine ‘Wired’ had picked up the story.  Today, arguably one of the best tech discussion forums ‘Slashdot’ reported it.

No other telecom and tech company in USA resisted this Freedom of Information request.  After all, these are lawful activities.  Yahoo resisted and now has become lighting rod for criticism on this issue.

This raises the interesting question what happens if the Indian IB, RAW or local police files such a request with Yahoo?  Somehow, one gets the feeling that no Indian authority will pay for any such service.