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Avoid Yahoo Answers at All COsts

I just received a notice from Yahoo Answers that my account has been disabled. My entire Yahoo account. I have only been in Yahoo Answers once or twice, and commented on something perhaps once. However, apparently the "community" can vote you off the island. blink.gif

Multiple emails to Yahoo Answers resulting in the following:

"Once an account is disabled for a violation of the Terms of Service, the subscriber to the account will lose the ability to log in and access the account and its contents (including email and content stored with any other Yahoo! service). The account also will not be reactivated. Should you choose to create a new Yahoo! account, we invite you to read the Yahoo! Terms of Service and Yahoo! Community Guidelines to help ensure your new account is not deactivated."

Now they won't TELL me what I did - I just seem to be getting a stream of automated emails from every appeal I make. They certainly aren't telling me what I did. So now my API keys, my mail my chat - everything will be gone and I have no idea why. This incredibly arbitrary act leads me to recommend that anyone counting on Yahoo as a partner in business and development must avoid Yahoo Answers at all costs.

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  • PS - as of right now my application IDs are still working but based on the Yahoo Answers replies they could stop working at any time.
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  • Hi Phil - it's unlikely that your API keys will be made invalid unless our systems sense some sort of volume-based abuse from your IP address. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you on the consumer ID front. I don't have much insight there but we can do some digging. Is your Yahoo! ID truly shut down at this point? That is, you can't access Mail, IM and other Yahoo! services?

    Thanks,
    Chris
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  • The same thing has just happened to me. 6 Years of documents, emails, statements, files, GONE. My account was deactivated for Violation of TOS, but I have no idea what I have done. I get the same generic email response when I try to appeal it online. The outsourced telephone "Customer Service" reps don't care either way, as long as they get me off the phone.

    If I am not able to get into this account, I will lose my job. I have a family to support, and I am going to lose all that based on some Yahoo lurker randomly deleting accounts for no reason. Can anyone help me?






    QUOTE (Phil (pbarnhart) @ Feb 15 2009, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
    I just received a notice from Yahoo Answers that my account has been disabled. My entire Yahoo account. I have only been in Yahoo Answers once or twice, and commented on something perhaps once. However, apparently the "community" can vote you off the island. :bNow they won't TELL me what I did - I just seem to be getting a stream of automated emails from every appeal I make. They certainly aren't telling me what I did. So now my API keys, my mail my chat - everything will be gone and I have no idea why. This incredibly arbitrary act leads me to recommend that anyone counting on Yahoo as a partner in business and development must avoid Yahoo Answers at all costs.
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  • I can confirm the same thing happened to me.

    In my case I know what I did wrong: I was outspoken about abuse at Yahoo! Answers. I even posted here at YDN about not being allowed to mention the Answers API at the Answers Suggestion Board. Although the Yahoo! Widget and Answers Badge have the same functionality as the API, I was forbidden by the Community Manager to mention it.

    I also posted there about privacy abuse since the Community Manager has decided to frequent an off-site chat (Chatzy) where information about surfing habits and login IDs is being shared with regular users ( see Answers Suggestion Board http://suggestions.yahoo.com/detail/?prop=...&fid=173584 ). I also filed a privacy complaint because my registered first name was revealed.

    She deactivated all my accounts (this is a new one) and there is no appeal process. Yahoo! telephone support was useless. I use many Yahoo! services such as Messenger, Mail, Groups, Avatars, Profiles etc. All are gone and I can't even get to those suggestion boards.

    In my case I offered realistic advice at the Suggestion Board and was banned for it, but I've seen many (who complained at the suggestion board) who have been deleted without notice and without appeal. The system of allowing users to moderate other users at Answers is to blame. No single property should have the power to ban a user from all services without appeal. No single community manager (however charming) should be able to ignore internal guidelines and privacy policies.
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