Yahoo!'s attempt to free up email handles could be terrifying indeed

Yahoo is attempting recycle email accounts by rekindling their usage or giving them away, and this has many people scared.

The new program at Yahoo! will allow web users to seize a new email handle that had previously been unavailable--focusing on accounts that have not been logged into for a year. This more agressive stance is an attempt to clear out the dead accounts to make way for new users that may put them to use. The problem is...

Some users may have malicious intent. One Tumblr user named wecanbreatheinouterspace stated about Yahoo!'s move: "Yahoo is more dangerous to the security of the internet than any government at this point." The cause for concern is that these new emails "put into the wild" can be used as a passport into the cyber lives of others. Email accounts work to reset passwords and gain access to a plethora of online accounts--from online banking to other email accounts.

Security is not the only concern, privacy may be another. From a privacy perspective, emails could be sent to the new owners of these email handles that were intended for the previous occupant. Besides this obvious privacy concern, spam complaints could shoot up as well and hurt well-intentioned marketers that expect to be communicating with the previous owner.