Yahoo Mail is blocking ad-block users from accessing their email

By Jordan Valinsky • November 19, 2015 •

Yahoo Mail is purportedly locking out people who use ad-blockers.

According to a post on Adblock Plus’ message boards, a Yahoo user noticed the issue on Google Chrome when trying to access email this morning, posting this screenshot: lolyahoo

“Yeah, whatever Yahoo,” the person mused, adding that two other people noticed the issue, too.

Yahoo’s tactic isn’t going over well to the few people left that use its mail service, as evidenced by this Twitter search:

please disable ad blocker to view yahoo mail? how about eat a dick. #gmailforever #fuckoffyahoo #bye

— Lexi Status (@Lexistatus) November 19, 2015

LOL – Fuck you Yahoo Mail for trying to get me to turn off my ad-blocker. You can kiss my ass with that bullshit. — batman (@d_batman_b) November 19, 2015

“please disable ad blocker to continue using yahoo mail” how about no. do you want me to stop using yahoo mail?? cause this is a good start

— Timmay (@RunLikeDeer) November 19, 2015

So @YahooMail has blocked my inbox for using an ad blocker. It was a good run, I guess. Goodbye! Hello Apple Mail, as much as I hate it. — Andrei Herasimchuk (@Trenti) November 19, 2015

Ha. Yahoo Mail is hiding my email window because I have the gall to use an Ad Blocker. Yeah fuck off you killed Geocities. Deal with it.

— Foxhack / Dave Silva (@Foxhack) November 19, 2015

Yikes — some of us are still mad about Geocities, dying, huh?

Yahoo joins other publishers and brands are slowly doing the same of locking out users from accessing their content. City AM, a London-based newspaper, started a trial this week barring ad-block users from reading it unless they disable it. The Washington Post is also experimenting with a similar tactic.

“They’re likely testing this particular approach, banning ad blocker users, on their email service because they know their users will be forced to disable their ad blocker if they want to check their emails within their web browser,” Tom Yeomans, CEO of Yavli, a company that makes technology to subvert ad blockers, told Digiday.

“Their users’ email account content are unique to them, so it’s different from news content where they can visit a competing website to get a same or similar experience.” He added that it’s a “dangerous activity” that could prompt users to flee to competing services.

The move comes as Yahoo’s advertising revenue is dwindling. Its third-quarter earnings painted another disappointing picture for the struggling company under Marissa Mayer’s leadership. Yahoo recently struck an agreement with Google power some of its advertising and search results.

Yahoo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ricardo Bilton contributed to this report.