Yahoo! to encrypt all user data by March 2014

Internet giant Yahoo! has said it will encrypt all the data flowing between its data centres globally by end of March 2014, a move aimed at assuring users about the safety of their personal information.
The US-based firm's announcement comes in the backdrop of reports that US government was snooping on user data to intercept information about what people do and say online without the knowledge of tech companies like Google, Facebook and Yahoo!.
"I want to reiterate what we have said in the past: Yahoo has never given access to our data centers to the NSA or to any other government agency. Ever," Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer said in her blog.

"We will continue to evaluate how we can protect our users' privacy and their data. We appreciate, and certainly do not take for granted, the trust our users place in us," Mayer said.
Earlier, Yahoo! had assured users that it will make Yahoo Mail more secure by introducing https encryption with a 2048-bit key across its network by January 8, 2014.
The Sunnyvale, California-headquartered company will now encrypt all information that moves between its data centers by the end of Q1 2014, making it more difficult for unauthorised parties to decipher the information.
Yahoo! will offer users an option to encrypt all data flowing to/from Yahoo and work closely with international Mail partners to ensure that Yahoo! co-branded mail accounts are https-enabled, she added.

According to analysts, the increased use of encryption technology may be aimed at checking government surveillance that may be occurring without the companies' knowledge.