Yahoo is trying to bounce back after suffering from major data breaches in the past years by revamping its Mail app which lets users approach emails beyond work or corporate use and avoid digital clutter.
The once-leading internet services provider had its user accounts data compromised in August 2013, affecting three billion users.
Stolen data include user’s names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, passwords and even answers to security questions.
By late 2014, Yahoo suffered another attack when a so-called “state-sponsored actor” compromised the data of another 500 million users.
Just like the first hack, pertinent user details such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, passwords and encrypted and unencrypted security questions and answers were stolen.
The breaches placed the company in hot water but issues on how it covered up the cybercrime further bolstered its tainted reputation.
The National Law Review says, “It’s not so much about the breach, as it is about the cover up.”
“Yahoo ran into trouble with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), other regulators and civil litigants because it failed to disclose its data breaches in a reasonable amount of time,” it noted.
Yahoo encountered two major data breaches that compromised millions of users. (Philstar/File photo)
“Yahoo’s post-breach injuries were self-inflicted and could have been largely avoided if it had properly investigated, responded to, and disclosed the breaches in real time,” the American law journal said.
In September 2016, Reuters reported that lots of Yahoo users closed their accounts following the 2014 breach that was only made public two years after.
However, it was only this month that the rival of Google announced that users who had their accounts compromised can now receive a settlement fee amounting to $100 or a free credit monitoring for two years.
Major revamp
Yahoo attempted to regain good graces in the digital arena by 2016 when it revamped its homepage and mobile application.
It allowed users to have a “more personalized and social experience” in browsing the website, as well as the ability to comment on news reports and track stories of their interest.
By 2017, the company—now under telecommunications giant Verizon—introduced a “cleaner and more minimal” Yahoo Mail interface.
It gave users the ability to customize their own inboxes with themes and introduced a more streamlined navigation experience where people can easily access their photos and documents, among others.
By 2018, the company enhanced its performance and adopted more personalization features.
It was not until this month, however, that Yahoo once again announced a major upgrade in its longstanding mail service.
Its app is set to “reimagine the inbox of the future” with a new approach towards organizing mail clutter that groups messages into categories like Deals, Travels, Attachments and Subscriptions.
The update also supports one-hand use that is ideal for large smartphone screens and the ability to easily unsubscribe from any newsletter with a single tap.
It also offers a cleaner and colorful layout that is easier to use and customize to fully support one’s lifestyle.
The improved app also allows users to view grocery discounts based on their respective loyalty cards.
The new Yahoo Mail app is available on both iOs and Android platforms.
