FACING CRITICISM: Yahoo was pressed to defend a plan to release user IDs that have been inactive for more than 12 months. - Reuters
SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo Inc on Wednesday downplayed concerns that its plans to recycle inactive user IDs could leave users exposed to hackers, saying only 7% of those IDs are tied to actual Yahoo e-mail accounts.
The Internet company, which announced last week it would release user IDs that have been inactive for more than 12 months so that other people can claim them, was pressed to defend the plan after critics warned that hackers who take control of inactive accounts could also assume the identities of the accounts' previous owners.
