Yahoo closes email service in China as it lowers curtain on the country
Web services company has completely ceased its operations in China
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Yahoo has completely ceased its operations in China now that web services company has ended support for itsemail servicein the country.
In a recent email sent out to customers, the company explained that it would soon closeYahoo Mailin China while advising them to switch to an alternative email service as soon as possible. Yahoo also recommended that users download their contacts, schedules and other important data before its email service closed for good in the country.
In anFAQpage on its site, Yahoo explained why it decided to end support for Yahoo Mail in China citing the country’s new privacy regulations as the main reason, saying:
“In recognition of the increasingly challenging business and legal environment in China, including new privacy regulations, Yahoo services will no longer be accessible from mainland China. In all other regions, Yahoo features will continue to function as expected and there will be no changes to Yahoo Mail account, emails, photos or other inbox content for users globally.”
Leaving China
With the shuttering of Yahoo Mail, the company is now no longer operating at any capacity in China. This is because it ended support for its other services in the country back in November of last year at the same time China’sPersonal Information Protection Law(PIPL) came into effect.
Under PIPL, global businesses are required to regulate the storage and privacy of their data in a way that meets the demands of the Chinese government. However, the new law is both precise and vague at the same time which has made operating in the country much more difficult for global businesses.
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While Yahoo’ssearch enginehasn’t been available in China for years, the company closed its original email service back in 2013. The year before though, Chinese ecommerce giant Alibababought a 20 percent stakein the firm and was responsible for managing the Chinese mail migration while still using the Yahoo brand under a tech and IP cross-licensing deal.
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Yahoo isn’t the only big company leaving the country though asMicrosoftshut down LinkedIn in Chinaback in October citing similar reasons.
ViaThe Register
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.
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