Yahoo won't let users with ad blockers access their email

Google has largely avoided this problem by keeping in-app advertising discreet, while Microsoft has pivoted free email into a loss leader for its other products.

A thread on the Adblock Plus forums contained complaints from a couple of people who couldn't access Yahoo Mail on both Chrome and Firefox. Instead of seeing their inboxes, the get the following error message: "Uh oh..."

Yahoo is reportedly prohibiting users from accessing its email service if a browser is installed with ad-blocker software.



As reported by Digiday, Yahoo told a few customers "we are unable to display Yahoo Mail, please disable Ad Blocker to continue usingYahoo Mail".

Yahoo email users, such as batman, were angered by the forcible way of disabling the ad blocker.

In an e-mail to DSLReports.com, Yahoo confirmed it's engaged in a "test" of blocking the ad blockers. We've reached out to the company for clarification. "This is a test we're running for a small number of Yahoo!".



In the meantime, users may be able to circumvent the blocking by opening Yahoo Mail in a different browser, going to Settings Viewing Mail, changing the view from "Full Featured" to "Basic", and then re-opening Yahoo Mail in the main browser.

It's the latest sign of growing tensions between Internet companies and consumers over the use of ad-blocking software that lets you browse the Web without seeing ads.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is coming under increasing pressure to turn the company around in the face of declining revenue, so it's unsurprising the firm is looking to stamp out ways for users of free services to undermine the core source of cash.





BY SYLVIA ADAMS