Yahoo was once the most popular multinational emailing service before the launch of Gmail. But over recent years, Yahoo has become the victim of multiple data breaches. These security breaches have shaken the user’s trust. Two major data breaches of user account data have been reported and have affected the data of over 500 million users.
However, Yahoo has been criticized for these data breaches and their security measures. The number of data breaches has been increasing, and it has become essential for every organization to take proactive measures to protect users’ data against cybersecurity threats. Unfortunately, Yahoo failed to do so. Hence, users are now deleting their old Yahoo accounts due to privacy concerns.
Therefore, Yahoo is currently facing several lawsuits by the United States Congress members. If your Yahoo account is still active, you must permanently delete your account to protect yourself against data theft. Scroll down to investigate further details about the Yahoo data breach and why you should permanently deactivate your Yahoo account.
The Biggest Yahoo! Data Breaches
Yahoo suffered two of the largest data breaches in history, affecting millions of users. These breaches are known as the world’s largest data breach in history due to the number of users affected. Let’s discuss the breaches concisely and the data compromised.
2014 Data Breach
In a 2014 data breach, the hackers obtained user account data of 500 million user accounts, which includes phone numbers, names, dates of birth, email addresses, and even hash passwords. However, Yahoo disclosed that breach in 2016, almost two years after the incident, and faced criticism for this late disclosure of the breach. After this breach, Yahoo requested users to re-enter their details and resubmit the encrypted and unencrypted security questions.
2013 Data Breach
Yahoo faced its first data breach in August 2013 and reported that it compromised the data of over 1 billion user accounts. They further claim that an unauthorized third party attempted the breach. However, they forced the users to reenter their details to make them encrypted to safeguard against future breaches. But, in 2017, they changed their statement that over 3 billion user accounts were affected in the 2013 data breach.
Therefore, after these Yahoo data breaches, users have become more conscious about their security, and many users are looking for ways to permanently close their Yahoo accounts.
Reasons for Deleting Yahoo Accounts
People are now searching for ways to delete their Yahoo accounts for various reasons, and protecting their data privacy is one of the most dominant. Below are some reasons:
- Your Yahoo! Account is not in use for a longer time, or you no longer need your Yahoo! account.
- If you have ever been a victim of data theft or want to secure yourself from being a victim of any data breach, deleting your account for security reasons is an essential step.
So, if you want to delete your Yahoo! account for any reason, follow the step-by-step guide to permanently delete it.
Things to Remember Before Deleting Your Account
Before you delete your account, there are some important things that you should keep in mind in order to protect your privacy. You will lose access to all your crucial data if you permanently terminate your account. So, below are the things you should follow before deleting the account.
1. Cancel Your Subscription
You must first cancel your Yahoo subscription, as they won’t delete your account if you have any outstanding balance. So, check your subscription payment status and clear the dues if you have any if you are using paid services. Review your “My Subscription Page” and cancel your Yahoo account subscription.
2. Export Your Important Data
Deleting your Yahoo account means losing all your stored data that may contain some crucial data that you can’t bear losing. Therefore, exporting and copying your essential data, whether contacts or other important stuff, is advisable. You must carefully export the important data before permanently deleting your Yahoo account.
3. Remove Third-Party Access
If you are using your Yahoo email address for any third-party application account, you need to change that account to continue your subscription. For instance, you are using your Yahoo email on your Netflix account, so before permanently deleting your account, you are required to change that email to any other email to continue watching the app.
4. Request Your Account Data Copy
Fortunately, Yahoo allows users to get a copy of their whole account data. However, getting your copy can take up to 30 days or more. So, you can request this from your Yahoo account’s privacy dashboard page and ask to download your data. Therefore, before deleting your account, save a backup of all your data.
How to Permanently Delete Your Yahoo Account
Deleting your Yahoo account could be the ultimate reason to protect yourself against cyber vulnerabilities. Follow the below steps to terminate your Yahoo account permanently.
- First, search Yahoo in your web browser and sign up your account with your credentials.
- Then, go to the “Yahoo Account Delete” page.
- Once you enter your details, click the “Yes, terminate this account” button to continue the deletion process.
- Another page shows up for further confirmation. Click on the “Continue delete my account” button to proceed further.
- Now, you will receive a message: “Your account has been deactivated and scheduled for deletion.”
- Click “Got it,” and you are good to go!
What Happens When You Terminate Your Yahoo Account
After completing the steps, Yahoo temporarily deactivates your account, which can be reactivated within 30 days. However, after 30 days, Yahoo permanently terminates your account, which you won’t recover.
Moreover, if you still need clarification about your account deletion status, check it by entering your credentials, and Yahoo will not recognize your account if it is deleted. If anyone sends an email to your deleted account, it will return back with a delivery failure message.
Bottom Line
Yahoo’s massive data breaches have questioned users’ data privacy, and users are more concerned about their security in the digital realm. Hence, they always find ways to protect themselves from security breaches.
Therefore, safeguarding sensitive data is essential for every individual, and if you visit any unsecured site, you should use a reliable VPN to protect yourself. A powerful VPN encrypts your data with robust encryption protocols to protect it from hackers and cybercriminals. So, it guards you against cybersecurity breaches and provides a safe browsing experience.
