Solved Email security

[gini]

I sent my friend a link to a service I had used in the past. I did this by copying the service's web site URL in the address bar of my browser while I viewed the site. I then inserted the link into the email to her. She insists she did not click on the link, but she said she got an ad from the business today! She wondered how "they" knew her email address. How can this be explained? She uses Yahoo mail as provided by her ISP, ATT. I use Firefox as my browser and sent the email via Thunderbird.

Thanks for any ideas about this!

 

[mrjimphelps]

Yahoo and other free email services scan the email of their customers, and then sell ads based on that info. Although she uses a paid version of Yahoo email (comes with her internet service), it sounds like they scan through the paid customers' emails as well.

 

[gini]

Thanks for the info! I'll pass it on to my friend. She won't be pleased!

 

[mrjimphelps]

I'm not pleased about that sort of thing either. That's why I don't use any free email services.

 

[Quintus Arius]

Email is 'postcard security' without some chosen form of encryption, and then with the resources of Gov/Big Biz who knows ?