Examine individual changes

'{{redirect|Yahoo}} {{Infobox Company |company_name = Yahoo! Inc. |company_logo = [[File:Yahoo Logo.svg|201px]] |company_type = [[Public company|Public]] ({{nasdaq|YHOO}}) |foundation = [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]], [[California]]<br />(March 1, 1995) |location_city = 701 First Avenue<br />[[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]], [[California]] |location_country = USA |industry = [[Internet]], [[computer software]] |area served = {{flagicon|Earth}} Worldwide |key_people = [[Carol Bartz]], [[Chief Executive Officer|CEO]]<br />[[Roy J. Bostock]], [[Chairman]]<br />[[Jerry Yang (entrepreneur)|Jerry Yang]], Co-founder<br />[[David Filo]], Co-founder<br />[[Susan Decker]], [[President]] |num_employees = 13,500 (2009)<ref name='Yahoo Posts Earnings Decline; Plans to Cut Work Force'>{{cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/technology/companies/22yahoo.html?ref=technology |title=Yahoo Posts Earnings Decline; Plans to Cut Work Force |publisher=''New York Times''|accessdate=2009-04-21}}</ref> |products = (See list of [[#Products and services|Yahoo! products]]) |revenue = {{profit}}$7.22 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] (2008)<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo! Inc: Company Report|url=http://moneycentral.msn.com/companyreport?Symbol=YHOO|publisher=''[[MSN]]''|accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> |operating_income = {{profit}}$4.13 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] (2008)<ref>{{citeweb|title=Key Statistics|url=http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=YHOO|publisher=''Yahoo''|accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> |slogan = "''Do you Yahoo?''" |homepage = [http://www.yahoo.com/ www.yahoo.com] }} '''Yahoo! Inc. ''' ({{nasdaq|YHOO}}) is an [[United States|American]] [[public company|public]] [[corporation]] headquartered in [[Sunnyvale, California]], (in [[Silicon Valley]]), that provides [[Internet]] services worldwide. The company is perhaps best known for its [[web portal]], [[web search engine|search engine]], [[Yahoo! Directory]], [[Yahoo! Mail]], news, and [[social media]] [[websites]] and services. Yahoo! was founded by [[Jerry Yang (entrepreneur)|Jerry Yang]] and [[David Filo]] in January 1994 and was incorporated on March 1, 1995. On [[January 13]], [[2009]], Yahoo appointed [[Carol Bartz]], former executive chairperson of [[Autodesk]], as its new chief executive officer and a member of the [[board of directors]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Confirmed: Carol Bartz Named Yahoo CEO: Can She Turn It Around?|url=http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/01/carol_bartz_to.html|year=2009|author=Rob Hof|publisher=''[[Business Week]]''|accessdate=2009-01-14}}</ref> According to Web traffic analysis companies (including [[Compete.com]], [[comScore]],<ref>{{citeweb|title=Fox Interactive Media Ranks #1 in Page Views; Yahoo! Sites Attract the Most Unique Visitors|url=http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1152|publisher=''[[comScore]]''|accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref> [[Alexa Internet]],<ref name="alexa">{{citeweb|title=Traffic History Graph for yahoo.com|url=http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/yahoo.com|publisher=''[[Alexa Internet]]''|accessdate=2008-02-06}}</ref> [[Netcraft]],<ref name="netcraft">{{citeweb|title=Current Web Traffic stats for Yahoo|url=http://toolbar.netcraft.com/site_report?url=http://www.yahoo.com|publisher=''[[Netcraft]]''|accessdate=2008-08-16}}</ref> and [[Nielsen Ratings]]<ref>{{citeweb|author=Suzy Bausch|coauthors=Leilani Han|year=2006|title=Successful Sites Drive High Visitor Retention Rates|url=http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/pr/pr_060511.pdf|publisher=''[[Nielsen Ratings]]''|accessdate=2008-02-12}}</ref>), the domain ''yahoo.com'' attracted at least 1.575 billion visitors annually by 2008.<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://siteanalytics.compete.com/yahoo.com/?metric=uv|title=Snapshot of yahoo.com|publisher=''[[Compete.com]]''|accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref> The global network of Yahoo! websites receives 3.4 billion page views per day on average {{As of|2007|alt=as of October 2007}}. It is the second most visited website in the [[U.S.]], and in the world.<ref name="alexa"/> == History and growth == === Early history (1994&ndash;1996) === [[File:Jerry Yang and David Filo.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Yahoo! co-founders [[Jerry Yang (entrepreneur)|Jerry Yang]] (left) and [[David Filo]] (right)]] In January 1994, [[Jerry Yang (entrepreneur)|Jerry Yang]] and [[David Filo]] were Electrical Engineering graduate students at [[Stanford University]]. In April 1994, "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" was renamed "Yahoo!", for which the official expansion is "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle".<ref>{{citebook|title=Blueprint to a Billion|author=David G. Thomson|pages=155|publisher=[[Wiley-Interscience]]|year=2006|isbn=9780471779186}}</ref><ref>[http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22707.html Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web becomes "Yahoo!"]</ref> Filo and Yang said they selected the name because they liked the word's general definition, which comes from ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]'' by [[Jonathan Swift]]: "rude, unsophisticated and uncouth".<ref>[http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/22707.html Definition of "Yahoo!"]</ref> Its [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]] was akebono.stanford.edu/yahoo.<ref>{{citeweb|title=The History of Yahoo! - How It All Started...|url=http://docs.yahoo.com/info/misc/history.html|publisher=''Yahoo''|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> By the end of 1994, Yahoo! had already received one million hits.{{Fact|date=April 2009}} The Yahoo! domain was created on January 18, 1995.<ref>{{citeweb|title=WHOIS information for: yahoo.com:|url=http://whois.net/whois_new.cgi?d=yahoo&tld=com|publisher=''whois.net''|accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref> Yang and Filo realized their website had massive business potential, and on [[March 1]], [[1995]], Yahoo! was [[Incorporation (business)|incorporated]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Inventing Yahoo!|author=David Rapp|year=2006|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/events/articles/web/20060412-yahoo-internet-search-engine-jerry-yang-david-filo-america-online-google-ipo-email.shtml|publisher=''[[American Heritage (magazine)]]''|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> On [[April 5]], [[1995]], [[Michael Moritz]] of [[Sequoia Capital]] provided Yahoo! with two rounds of venture capital, raising approximately $3 million.<ref>{{citeweb|author=[[Eric Schmidt]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/article/0,28804,1595326_1615737_1616199,00.html|title=The Time 100 - Michael Moritz|publisher=''[[Time (magazine)]]''|accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/timeline.cfm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080213120416/http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/timeline.cfm|archivedate=2008-02-13|title=Yahoo Company Timeline|accessdate=2008-08-18}}</ref> On [[April 12]], [[1996]], Yahoo! had its [[initial public offering]], raising $33.8 million, by selling 2.6 million shares at $13 each. Like many [[web search engine|search engines]] and [[web directory|web directories]], Yahoo! diversified into a [[Web portal]]. In the late 1990s, Yahoo!, [[MSN]], [[Lycos]], [[Excite]] and other Web portals were growing rapidly. Web portal providers rushed to acquire companies to expand their range of services, in the hope of increasing the time a user stays at the portal. On [[March 8]], [[1997]], Yahoo! acquired online communications company Four11. Four11's webmail service, [[Rocketmail]], became [[Yahoo! Mail]]. Yahoo! also acquired ClassicGames.com and turned it into [[Yahoo! Games]]. Yahoo! then acquired direct marketing company Yoyodyne Entertainment, Inc. on October 12. On [[March 8]], [[1998]], Yahoo! launched Yahoo! Pager,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=173501|title=Stay In Touch With Yahoo! Pager|publisher=''Yahoo''|accessdate=2008-12-08}}</ref> an instant messaging service that was renamed [[Yahoo! Messenger]] a year later. On [[January 28]], [[1999]], Yahoo! acquired web hosting provider [[GeoCities]]. Another company Yahoo! acquired was [[eGroups]], which became [[Yahoo! Groups]] after the acquisition on [[June 28]], [[2000]]. When acquiring companies, Yahoo! often changed the relevant [[terms of service]]. For example, they claimed [[intellectual property]] rights for content on their [[server (computing)|servers]], unlike the companies they acquired. As a result, many of the [[acquisition]]s were controversial and unpopular with users of the existing services.{{Clarifyme|date=March 2008}} [[File:Yahoo Headquarters.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Yahoo! headquarters in [[Sunnyvale]]]] === Dot-com bubble (2000&ndash;2001) === Yahoo! stock doubled in price in the last month of 1999.<ref>{{citeweb|title=YHOO: Historical Prices for YAHOO INC - Yahoo! Finance|url=http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=YHOO&a=10&b=30&c=1999&d=11&e=31&f=1999&g=d|publisher=''[[Yahoo! Finance]]''|accessdate=2008-11-02}}</ref> On [[January 3]], [[2000]], at the height of the [[Dot-com boom]], Yahoo! stocks closed at an all-time high of $118.75 a share. Sixteen days later, shares in [[Yahoo! Japan]] became the first stocks in Japanese history to trade at over ¥100,000,000, reaching a price of ¥101.4 million ($94,780 at that time).<ref>{{citeweb|year=2000|author=William Auckerman|title=Yahoo Japan Stock Breaks 100 Million Yen Barrier|url=http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/print.php/289851|publisher=''[[Jupitermedia]]''|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> On [[February 7]], [[2000]], the Yahoo! domain was brought to a halt for a few hours as it was the victim of a distributed denial of service attack ([[DDoS]]).<ref>{{citebook|title=Computer Security Handbook|author=Seymour Bosworth|coauthors=M. E. Kabay|year=2002|pages=63|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=978-0471269755}}</ref> On the next day, its shares rose about $16, or 4.5 percent as the failure was blamed on [[Hacker (computer security)|hackers]] rather than on an internal [[glitch]], unlike a fault with [[eBay]] earlier that year. During the dot-com boom, the cable news station [[CNBC]] also reported that Yahoo! and [[eBay]] were discussing a 50/50 [[merger]].<ref>{{citeweb|author=Saul Hansell|coauthors=Laura M. Holson|title=The Markets: Market Place; Is the Online Auction King Ebay Going Once? Twice? Not Likely|year=2000|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEFD81F3BF935A25750C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|publisher=''[[New York Times]]''|accessdate=2009-01-05}}</ref> Although the merger never materialized the two companies decided to form a marketing/advertising alliance six years later in 2006.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo, eBay form Web advertising alliance|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12970936/|publisher=''[[Associated Press]]''|year=2006|accessdate=2008-02-24}}</ref> On [[June 26]], [[2000]], Yahoo! and [[Google]] signed an agreement which retained Google as the default worldwide-web search engine for Yahoo! following a beta trial in 1999.<ref>{{citeweb|title=GoogleAlert #2: Yahoo! Selects Google as its Default Search Engine Provider|url=http://www.google.com/googlefriends/alert2_2000.html|publisher=google.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> === Post dot-com bubble (2002&ndash;2009) === Yahoo! was one of the surviving large Internet companies after the [[dot-com bubble]] burst. Nevertheless, on [[September 26]], [[2001]], Yahoo! stocks closed at a five-year low of $4.06 (split-adjusted). Yahoo! formed partnerships with [[telecommunications]] and Internet providers to create content-rich [[broadband]] services to compete with [[AOL]]. On [[June 3]], [[2002]], [[SBC Communications|SBC]] and Yahoo! launched a national co-branded [[Dial-up access|dial]] service.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Internet Leaders SBC and Yahoo! Launch National Co-Branded Dial Service|url=http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=20046|publisher=att.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> In July 2003, [[BT Group|BT]] Openworld announced an alliance with Yahoo!.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Internet alliance BT and Yahoo!|url=http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=30241&nr=806|publisher=telecom.paper.nl|accessdate=2008-02-25}}{{dead link|date=April 2009}}</ref> On [[August 23]], [[2005]], Yahoo! and [[Verizon]] launched an integrated [[DSL]] service.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Verizon and Yahoo! Launch Integrated DSL Service Combining Broadband Speed with Premium Content|url=http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2005/page.jsp?itemID=29708038|publisher=newscenter.verizon.com|accessdate=2008-02-06}}</ref> In late 2002, Yahoo! began to bolster its search services by acquiring other search engines. In December 2002, Yahoo! acquired [[Inktomi]]. In February 2005, Yahoo! acquired Konfabulator and rebranded it [[Yahoo! Widgets]],<ref>{{citeweb|title=Konfabulator 2.1: Ajax additions|url=http://ajaxian.com/archives/konfabulator-21-ajax-additions|publisher=ajaxian.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> a desktop application and in July 2003, it acquired [[Yahoo! Search Marketing|Overture Services, Inc.]] and its subsidiaries [[AltaVista]] and [[AlltheWeb]]. On [[February 18]], [[2004]], Yahoo! dropped Google-powered results and returned to using its own technology to provide search results. In 2004, in response to [[Google]]'s release of [[Gmail]], Yahoo! upgraded the storage of all free Yahoo! Mail accounts from 4 [[Megabyte|MB]] to 1 GB, and all Yahoo! Mail Plus accounts to 2 GB. On [[July 9]], [[2004]], Yahoo! acquired e-mail provider [[Oddpost]] to add an [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax]] interface to [[Yahoo! Mail]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo acquires Oddpost to bolster e-mail|url=http://www.news.com/2100-1038_3-5266019.html|publisher=news.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> On [[October 13]], [[2005]], Yahoo! and Microsoft announced that [[Yahoo! Messenger]] and [[MSN Messenger]] would become interoperable. In 2007, Yahoo! took out the storage meters, thus allowing users unlimited storage. Yahoo! continued acquiring companies to expand its range of services, particularly [[Web 2.0]] services. Yahoo! Launchcast became [[Yahoo! Music]] on [[February 9]], [[2005]]. On [[March 20]], [[2005]], Yahoo! purchased photo sharing service [[Flickr]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo actually does acquire Flickr|url=http://blog.flickr.net/en/2005/03/20/yahoo-actually-does-acquire-flickr/|publisher=flickr.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> On [[March 29]], [[2005]], the company launched its blogging and social networking service [[Yahoo! 360°]]. In June 2005, Yahoo! acquired [[blo.gs]], a service based on RSS feed aggregation. Yahoo! then bought online social event calendar [[Upcoming.org]] on [[October 4]], [[2005]]. Yahoo! acquired social bookmark site [[del.icio.us]] on [[December 9]], [[2005]] and then playlist sharing community [[webjay]] on [[January 9]], [[2006]]. On [[August 27]], [[2007]], Yahoo! released a new version of [[Yahoo! Mail]]. It adds Yahoo! Messenger integration. (which includes Windows Live Messenger due to the networks' [[federation (information technology)|federation]]) and free text messages (not necessarily free to the receiver) to mobile phones in the [[United States|U.S.]], [[Canada]], [[India]] and the [[Philippines]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=SiliconRepublic:_Yahoo_releases_new_email_service|url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single9082|publisher=siliconrepublic.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> On [[January 29]], [[2008]], Yahoo! announced that the company was laying off 1,000 employees as the company had suffered severely in its inability to effectively compete with industry search leader [[Google]]. The cuts represent 7 percent of the company's workforce of 14,300. Employees are being invited to apply for an unknown number of new positions that are expected to open as the company expands areas that promise faster growth.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo to lay off 1,000|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/29/BUJ5UOBFI.DTL|publisher=''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''|accessdate=2008-07-24}}</ref> In February, 2008, Yahoo! acquired [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]-based Maven Networks, a supplier of internet video players and video advertising tools, for approx. $160 million. Yahoo! announced on [[November 17]], [[2008]] that Yang would be stepping down as CEO.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081118/ap_on_hi_te/yahoo_ceo_change|title="Yahoo's Yang decides he's no longer the right CEO"|author=AP|publisher=Associated Press|date=2008-11-18|accessdate=2008-11-18}}{{dead link|date=April 2009}}</ref> On [[December 10]], [[2008]], Yahoo! began laying off 1,520 employees around the world as the company tries to deal with its financial difficulties.<ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10120253-93.html Yahoo pink slips issued, recruiters circling above | Digital Media - CNET News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==== Acquisition attempt by Microsoft ==== [[Microsoft]] and Yahoo! pursued [[merger]] discussions in 2005, 2006, and 2007, that were all ultimately unsuccessful. At the time, analysts were skeptical about the wisdom of a business combination.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Forbes|accessdate=2008-02-01|title=Microsoft, Yahoo In Possible Partnership Talks|author=Mary Crane|date=May 3, 2006|url=http://www.forbes.com/markets/bonds/2006/05/03/yahoo-microsoft-partnership-0503markets04.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=Associated Press|title=Microsoft and Yahoo end on-again off-again talks to combine forces|date=May 4, 2007|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/04/business/NA-FIN-COM-US-Microsoft-Yahoo.php|accessdate=2008-02-01}}</ref> On [[February 1]], [[2008]], after its friendly takeover offer was rebuffed by Yahoo!, Microsoft made an unsolicited [[takeover]] bid to buy Yahoo! for US$44.6 billion in cash and stock.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Microsoft wants to purchase Yahoo|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7222114.stm|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref><ref name=mstob>{{cite news|title=Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo for $44.6 Billion|accessdate=2008-02-01|date=February 1, 2008|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aLsamJL6qUQY&refer=news|publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref> Days later, Yahoo! considered alternatives to the merger with Microsoft, including a merger with internet giant [[Google]]<ref>{{cite news|first=Mick|last=Jason|title=Microsoft May Borrow For Yahoo Deal; Yahoo Opts for Google Alliance|date=2008-02-06|url=http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=10586|work=DailyTech|accessdate=2008-02-06}}</ref> or a potential transaction with [[News Corp]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Kafka|title=Yahoo-News Corp Still Talking, Deal Still Possible|date=2008-02-12|url=http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/2/yahoo__news_corp__deal_still_in_the_works_|work=AlleyInsider|accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> However, on [[February 11]], [[2008]], Yahoo! decided to reject Microsoft's offer as "substantially undervaluing" Yahoo!'s brand, audience, investments, and growth prospects.<ref name=yhooreject>{{cite news|publisher=Business Wire|accessdate=2008-02-11|title=Yahoo! Board of Directors Says Microsoft's Proposal Substantially Undervalues Yahoo!|date=February 1, 2008|url=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=293129}}</ref> As of February 22, two Detroit based pension companies have sued Yahoo! and their board of directors for breaching their duty to shareholders by opposing Microsoft's takeover bid and pursuing "value destructive" third-party deals.<ref name=breach>{{cite news|title= Yahoo sued for spurning Microsoft|accessdate=2008-02-23 | language=en | url=http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080222/yahoo_shareholder_lawsuit.html|publisher=yahoo.com}}</ref>{{Dead link|url=http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080222/yahoo_shareholder_lawsuit.html|date=August 2008}} In early March, Google CEO [[Eric Schmidt]] went on record saying that he was concerned that a potential Microsoft-Yahoo! merger might hurt the Internet by compromising its openness.<ref>{{cite news|title=Microsoft's moves 'threaten net'|accessdate=2008-03-18|language=en|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7300337.stm}}</ref> The value of Microsoft's cash and stock offer declined with Microsoft's stock price, falling to $42.2 billion by April 4.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Microsoft CEO sets deadline to Yahoo for deal|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN0543364420080405?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0|publisher=''[[Reuters]]''|accessdate=2008-04-10}}</ref> On April 5, Microsoft CEO [[Steve Ballmer]] sent a letter to Yahoo!'s board of directors stating that if within three weeks they had not accepted the deal, Microsoft would approach shareholders directly in hopes of a electing a new board and moving forward with merger talks; this is known as a [[hostile takeover]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Microsoft sets deadline for Yahoo bid|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23958838/|publisher=''[[MSNBC]]''|accessdate=2008-04-10}}</ref>{{Dead link|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23958838/|date=August 2008}} In response, Yahoo! stated on April 7 that they were not against a merger, but that they wanted a better offer. In addition, they stated that Microsoft's "aggressive" approach was worsening their relationship and the chances of a "friendly" merger.<ref name="friend">{{citeweb|title=Microsoft-Yahoo fight reaches the turning point|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23992701/|publisher=''[[MSNBC]]''|accessdate=2008-04-10}}</ref> Later the same day, Yahoo! stated that the original $45 billion offer was not acceptable.<ref name="friend"/> Following this, there has been considerable discussion of having [[Time Warner]]'s [[AOL]] and Yahoo! merge, instead of the originally proposed Microsoft deal.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo brings two titans to the table|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23519656-643,00.html|publisher=theaustralian.news.com.au|accessdate=2008-04-10}}</ref> On [[May 3]], [[2008]], Microsoft withdrew their offer. During a meeting between Ballmer and Yang, Microsoft had offered to raise its offer by $5 billion to $33 per share, while Yahoo! demanded $37. One of Ballmer's lieutenants suggested that Yang would implement a [[Poison pill#Public companies|poison pill]] to make the takeover as difficult as possible, saying "They are going to burn the furniture if we go hostile. They are going to destroy the place."<ref name="msft_withdrawl1">{{citeweb|title=Microsoft Withdraws Proposal to Acquire Yahoo!|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/may08/05-03letter.mspx|publisher=''[[Microsoft]]''|accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb|title=Microsoft's Failed Yahoo Bid Risks Online Growth|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/technology/05soft.html?_r=4&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin|publisher=''[[New York Times]]''|accessdate=2008-05-06}}</ref> Analysts say that Yahoo!'s shares, which closed at $28.67 on May 2, are likely to drop below $25 and perhaps as low as $20 on May 5, which would put significant pressure on Yang to engineer a turnaround of the company. Some suggest that institutional investors would file lawsuits against Yahoo!'s board of directors for not acting in shareholder interest by refusing Microsoft's offer.<ref>{{citeweb|title=A Yahoo Shareholder on What Might Have Been|url=http://www10.nytimes.com/2008/05/05/technology/05miller-WEB.html?_r=5&ref=technology&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin|publisher=''[[New York Times]]''|accessdate=2008-05-31}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb|title=Pressure's now on Yahoo CEO|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/04/MN0B10GOK9.DTL|publisher=''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''|accessdate=2008-05-31}}</ref> On [[May 5]], [[2008]], following Microsoft's withdrawal Yahoo!'s stock plunged some 13% lower to $23.02 in Monday trading and trimmed about $6 billion off of its market capitalization.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo Falls After Microsoft Yanks Takeover Bid|url=http://www.smartmoney.com/one-day-wonder/index.cfm?story=20080505-yahoo&afl=yahoo|publisher=''[[SmartMoney]]''|accessdate=2008-05-06}}{{dead link|date=April 2009}}</ref> After Microsoft's failed bid to acquire Yahoo!, Microsoft is rumored to be looking at acquiring LiveDoor, a leading Japanese portal and the leading blogging service in Japan, to strengthen its position against Yahoo! Japan. On [[June 12]], [[2008]], Yahoo announced that it had ended all talks with Microsoft about purchasing either part of the business (the search advertising business) or all of the company. Talks had taken place the previous weekend (June 8), during which Microsoft allegedly told Yahoo that it was no longer interested in a purchase of the entire company at the price offered earlier -- $33/share. Also on June 12, Yahoo announced a non-exclusive search advertising alliance with Google.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yahoo Ends Talks With Microsoft<nowiki>,</nowiki> Signs Search-Ad Deal with Google|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121329534659368693.html|publisher=''[[Wall Street Journal]]''|accessdate=2008-06-12}}</ref> Upon this announcement, many executives and senior employees have announced their plans to leave the company as it appears that they have lost confidence in Yahoo's strategies. According to market analysts, these pending departures are also impacting [[Wall Street]]'s perception of the company. <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www10.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/technology/20yahoo.html?_r=5&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin | title="At Yahoo, the Exodus Continues: | author=Helft, Miguel | publisher=NY Times | date=2008-06-20 | accessdate=2008-06-20}}</ref> On [[July 7]], [[2008]], Microsoft said it would reconsider proposing another bid for Yahoo if the company's nine directors were ousted at the annual meeting scheduled to be held on [[August 1]], [[2008]]. Microsoft believes it would be able to better negotiate with a new board.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/ | title="Microsoft wants to negotiate with new Yahoo board" | author=Liedtke, Michael | publisher=Associated Press | date=2008-07-07 | accessdate=2008-07-07}}</ref> Billionaire investor [[Carl Icahn]], calling the current board irrational in its approach to talks with Microsoft, launched a proxy fight to replace Yahoo's board. On July 21, 2008 Yahoo settled with Carl Icahn, agreeing to appoint him and two allies to an expanded board. On [[November 20]], [[2008]], almost 10 months after Microsoft's initial offer of $33 per share, Yahoo's stock (YHOO) dropped to a 52-week low, trading at only $8.94 per share.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://quotes.nasdaq.com/asp/SummaryQuote.asp?symbol=YHOO | title="YHOO stock quote - Yahoo! Inc. stock price - NASDAQ.com" | author=NASDAQ | publisher=NASDAQ | date=2008-11-20 | accessdate=2008-11-20}}</ref> On [[November 30]], [[2008]], Microsoft offered to buy Yahoo's Search business for $20 billion.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article5258258.ece | title="Microsoft in $20bn Yahoo deal: | author=John Waples | publisher=Times Online | date=2008-11-30 | accessdate=2008-11-30}}</ref> == Products and services == {{main|List of Yahoo-owned sites and services}} Yahoo! provides a wide array of internet services that cater to most online activities. It operates the web portal http://www.yahoo.com which provides content including the latest news, entertainment, and sports information, and gives users quick access to other Yahoo! services like [[Yahoo! Mail]], Yahoo! Maps, [[Yahoo! Finance]], [[Yahoo! Groups]] and [[Yahoo! Messenger]]. The majority of the product offerings are available globally in more than 20 languages. === Storing personal information === As of [[December 11]], [[2007]], [[Google search|Google]] and the Microsoft's [[Live Search]] "store personal information for 18 months" and Yahoo! and [[AOL]] ([[Time Warner]]) "retain search requests for 13 months".<ref>{{cite news|author=Liedtke, Michael|title=Ask.com will purge search info in hours|url=http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071211/BIZ/712110335|work=Journal Gazette|publisher=Fort Wayne Newspapers|date=December 11, 2007|accessdate=2008-08-18}}</ref> === Communication === Yahoo! provides internet communication services such as [[Yahoo! Mail]] and [[Yahoo! Messenger]], Yahoo! Mail is the largest e-mail service in the world with almost half the market share.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo_Tops_Google_In_Mail,_News,_Finance|url=http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2006/05/20/yahoo-tops-google-in-mail-news-finance|publisher=webpronews.com|accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> In March, 2007, Yahoo! announced that their email service will offer unlimited storage beginning May 2007.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo! Mail goes to infinity and beyond|url=http://ycorpblog.com/2007/03/27/yahoo-mail-goes-to-infinity-and-beyond/|publisher=yodel.yahoo.com|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> Yahoo! Mail premium service MailPlus provides additional functionality including POP/SMTP access to Yahoo! Mail accounts, although such functionality is already provided for free by Yahoo! competitor [[Gmail]]. Some MailPlus subscribers have reported difficulties in successfully cancelling their Mailplus (automatically renewed and paid by credit card) subscriptions. Although other areas of the Mailplus web interface appear to function correctly, a blank page appears when users select "cancel service" from the list of options to manage the service. It is unknown whether this error has been an accidental oversight by Yahoo! programmers, or a deliberate attempt to retain Mailplus subscription cash flows as long as possible. Yahoo! also offers social networking services and user-generated content in products such as My Web, [[Yahoo! Personals]], [[Yahoo! 360°]], [[Flickr]] and [[Yahoo! Buzz]]. Yahoo! Photos was shut down on [[September 20]], [[2007]] in favor of Flickr. On [[October 16]], [[2007]], Yahoo! announced that they will no longer provide support or perform bug fixes on Yahoo! 360° as they intend to abandon it in early 2008 in favor of a "universal profile" that will be similar to their Mash experimental system.<ref>{{citeweb|title=The Evolution of Yahoo! 360|url=http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-1qCkw2Ehaak.hdNZkEAzDrpa4Q--?cq=1&p=49226|publisher=blog.360.yahoo.com|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> === Content === Yahoo! partners with hundreds of premier content providers in products such as [[Yahoo! Sports]], [[Yahoo! Finance]], [[Yahoo! Music]], [[Yahoo! Movies]], [[Yahoo! News]], [[Yahoo! Answers]] and [[Yahoo! Games]] to provide media contents and news. Yahoo! also provides a personalization service, My Yahoo!, which enables users to collect their favorite Yahoo! features, content feeds, and information into a single page. On March 31, 2008 Yahoo! launched web portal ''shine.yahoo.com'' another Yahoo! property dedicated to women between the ages of 25 and 54. Yahoo! called this demographic underserved by current Yahoo! properties. With [[Shine (website)|Shine]] Yahoo! will expand its offerings in parenting, sex and love, healthy living, food, career, money, entertainment, fashion, beauty home life and astrology. === Co-branded Internet services === Yahoo! has developed partnerships with different broadband providers such as [[AT&T]] (via [[BellSouth]] & [[SBC Communications|SBC]]), [[Verizon Communications]], [[Rogers Communications]] and [[British Telecom]], offering a range of free and premium Yahoo! content and services to subscribers. === Mobile === [[Yahoo! Mobile]] includes services for on-the-go messaging, such as email, instant messaging, and [[mobile blogging|moblogging]]; information, such as search and alerts; and fun and games, including ring tones, mobile games, and Yahoo! Photos for camera phones. These require software to be installed on the user's device. === oneSearch === Yahoo! introduced its Internet search system, called oneSearch, developed for mobile phones on [[March 20]], [[2007]]. The company's officials stated that in distinction from ordinary Web searches, Yahoo!'s new service presents a list of actual information, which may include: news headlines, images from Yahoo!'s Flickr photos site, business listings, local weather and links to other sites. Instead of showing only, for example, popular movies or some critical reviews, oneSearch lists local theaters that at the moment are playing a certain movie, user ratings and news headlines regarding the movie. A zip code or city name is required for Yahoo! oneSearch to start delivering local search results. The results of a Web search are listed on a single page and are prioritized into categories. The list of results is based on calculations that Yahoo! computers make on certain information the user is seeking.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo Gets Ahead of Google in the Mobile Search Market|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20071224203041/http://www.usb4ever.com/yahoo-gets-ahead-of-google-p.html|publisher=2008-02-21}}</ref> Yahoo! has announced they also plan to adopt [[Novarra]]'s mobile content transcoding service for the [[oneSearch]] platform.<ref>{{cite web|title=Novarra to transcode for Yahoo's oneSearch|url=http://www.rcrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070724/SUB/70724007/1012/webcast|publisher=rcrnews.com|accessdate=2008-02-06}}</ref> === Commerce === Yahoo! offers commerce services such as [[Yahoo! Shopping]], Yahoo! Autos, [[Yahoo! Real Estate]] and [[Yahoo! Travel]], which enables users to gather relevant information and make commercial transactions and purchases online. In addition, Yahoo! offers an e-commerce platform called Yahoo! Merchant Solutions (also known as Yahoo! Store) and hosts more Top 500 internet retailers than any other hosted e-commerce solution. Yahoo! Auctions were discontinued in 2007 except for Asia. <ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo to close North American auction site|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18578841/|publisher=msnbc.com|accessdate=2008-10-28}}</ref> === Small business === Yahoo! provides services such as Yahoo! Domains, Yahoo! Web Hosting, Yahoo! Merchant Solutions, Yahoo! Business Email, and Yahoo! Store to small business owners and professionals allowing them to build their own online stores using Yahoo!'s tools. Yahoo! also offers HotJobs to help recruiters find the talent they seek. === Advertising === [[Yahoo! Search Marketing]] provides services such as Sponsored Search, Local Advertising, and Product/Travel/Directory Submit that let different businesses advertise their products and services on the Yahoo! network. [[Yahoo! Publisher Network]] is an advertising tool for online publishers to place advertisements relevant to their content to monetize their websites.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Company Overview|url=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/overview.cfm|publisher=shareholder.com|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> Yahoo! launched its new Internet advertisement sales system on February 5, 2007 called [[Panama (ad system)|Panama]]. It allows [[advertising|advertisers]] to bid for search terms based on their popularity to display their ads on search results pages. The system takes bids, ad quality, [[click-through rate]]s and other factors into consideration in determining how ads are ranked on search results pages. Through Panama, Yahoo! aims to provide more relevant search results to users, a better overall experience, as well as increase monetization -- to earn more from the ads it shows.<ref>{{citeweb|title=New Panama Ranking System For Yahoo Ads Launches Today|url=http://searchengineland.com/070205-090623.php|publisher=searchengineland.com|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> On April 7, 2008, Yahoo! announced [[Yahoo! AMP!]], an online advertising management platform.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo! Previews Powerful New Online Advertising Management Platform|url=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=303352|publisher=''Yahoo''|accessdate=2008-05-31}}</ref> The platform seeks to simplify advertising sales by unifying buyer and seller markets. The service is scheduled for release in quarter 3 of 2008. === Yahoo! Next === [[Yahoo! Next]] is an incubation ground for future Yahoo! technologies currently in their beta testing phase. It contains [[Internet forum|forums]] for Yahoo! users to give feedback to assist in the development of these future Yahoo! technologies. === Yahoo! BOSS === Yahoo! Search BOSS is a new service that allows developers to build search applications based on Yahoo!'s search technology.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/04/AR2008080400733.html Yahoo Boss Is So Open, It Runs on Google's App Engine - washingtonpost.com]</ref> Early Partners in the program include [[Hakia]], [[Me.dium]], [[Delver]] and [[Daylife]].<ref>[http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/nbReader.asp?ArticleId=49963 Yahoo! Expands Its Open Strategy With BOSS]</ref> == Revenue model == About 88% of total revenues for the fiscal year 2006 came from marketing services. The largest segment of it comes from search advertising, where advertisers bid for search terms to display their ads on the search results, on average Yahoo! makes 2.5 cents to 3 cents from each search. With the new search advertising system "Panama" Yahoo! aims to increase revenue generated from search.<ref>{{citeweb|title=A Long-Delayed Ad System Has Yahoo Crossing Its Fingers|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/05/technology/05yahoo.html?ex=1328331600&en=7c66de3983c44830&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|publisher=nytimes.com|accessdate=2008-02-21}}</ref> Other forms of advertising which bring in revenue for Yahoo! include display and contextual advertising. Working with [[comScore]], ''[[The New York Times]]'' found that Yahoo! is able to collect far more data about Web users than its competitors from its Web sites and its advertising network. By one measure, on average Yahoo! had the potential in December 2007 to build a profile of 2,500 records per month about each of its visitors.<ref>{{cite news|author=Story, Louise and comScore|title=They Know More Than You Think|url=http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/03/10/technology/20080310_PRIVACY_GRAPHIC.html|format=JPEG|date=March 10, 2008}} in {{cite news|author=Story, Louise|title=To Aim Ads, Web Is Keeping Closer Eye on You|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/technology/10privacy.html|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=March 10, 2008|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref> == Criticism and controversy == === Yahoo! paid inclusion controversy === In [[March 2004]], Yahoo! launched a paid inclusion program whereby commercial websites are guaranteed listings on the Yahoo! search engine after payment.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo! Introduces Paid-Inclusion Program|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070927213149/http://www.adweek.com/aw/iq_interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000451392|publisher=adweek.com|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> This scheme is lucrative, but has proved unpopular both with website marketers (who are reluctant to pay), and the public (who are unhappy about the paid-for listings being indistinguishable from other search results).<ref>{{citeweb|title=Paid Inclusion Losing Charm?|url=http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2004/07/64092|publisher=wired.com|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> As of [[October 2006]], Paid Inclusion doesn't guarantee any commercial listing, it only helps the paid inclusion customers, by crawling their site more often and by providing some statistics on the searches that led to the page and some additional smart links (provided by customers as feeds) below the actual url. === Adware and spyware === Yahoo! has also been criticized for funding [[spyware]] and [[adware]] — advertising from Yahoo!'s clients often appears on-screen in pop-ups generated from adware that a user may have installed on their computer without realizing it by accepting online offers to download software to fix computer clocks or improve computer security, add browser enhancements, etc. The frequency of advertising pop-ups for spyware, generated from a partnership with advertising distributor [[Walnut Ventures]], who had a direct partnership with [[Direct Revenue]], could be increased or decreased based on Yahoo!'s immediate revenue needs, according to some former employees in Yahoo!'s sales department.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo's Pop-Up Connection|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_29/b3993005.htm|publisher=businessweek.com|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo's Adware Counterattack|url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2005/tc20051116_941267.htm|publisher=businessweek.com|accessdate=2008-02-06}}</ref> === Work in the People's Republic of China === {{rquote|right|''While technologically and financially you [Yahoo] are giants, morally you are pygmies''<ref name=dana>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo in the dock|last= Milbank|first=Dana|authorlink=Dana Milbank|date=2007-11-08|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=20&art_id=56465&sid=16183142&con_type=3&d_str=20071108&sear_year=2007|work=[[The Washington Post]]|publisher=[[The Standard]]|accessdate=2008-02-23}}</ref>|[[Tom Lantos]], chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (2007)}} Yahoo!, along with [[Google China]], [[Microsoft]], [[Cisco]], [[AOL]], [[Skype]], [[Nortel]] and others, has cooperated with the [[Communist Party of China|Chinese government]] in implementing a system of [[Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China|internet censorship in mainland China]]. Unlike [[Google]] or [[Microsoft]], which keep confidential records of its users outside mainland China, Yahoo! stated that the company will not protect the privacy and confidentiality of its Chinese customers from the authorities.<ref>Gunther, Marc. [http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/15/news/international/pluggedin_fortune/index.htm?cnn=yes Tech execs get grilled over mainland China business: Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco, facing attack in Congress, say they're doing more good than harm in China]." ''[[CNN]].'' [[February 16]], [[2006]].</ref> Human rights advocates such as [[Human Rights Watch]] and media groups such as [[Reporters Without Borders]] state that it is "ironic that companies whose existence depends on freedom of information and expression have taken on the role of censor."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/08/09/china13940.htm|title=China: Internet Companies Aid Censorship|accessdate=2007-02-06}}</ref> ==== Imprisonment of Chinese dissidents ==== ===== Shi Tao ===== {{Main|Shi Tao}} In September 2005, Reporters Without Borders reported the following story. In [[April 2005]], [[Shi Tao]], a journalist working for a Chinese newspaper, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the [[Changsha]] Intermediate People's Court of [[Hunan Province]], [[China]] (First trial case no. 29), for "providing state secrets to foreign entities". The "secrets" were a brief list of censorship orders he sent from a Yahoo! Mail account to the Asia [[Democracy]] Forum before the anniversary of the [[Tiananmen Square Incident]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Jailed Chinese Journalist Wins WAN Golden Pen of Freedom|url=http://www.wmd.org/democracynews/dec06.html|publisher=wmd.org|accessdate=2008-02-23}}</ref> The [http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/Verdict_Shi_Tao.pdf verdict as published by the Chinese government] stated the following. Shi Tao had sent the email through an anonymous Yahoo! account. Yahoo! Holdings (the Hong Kong subsidiary of Yahoo) told the Chinese government that the IP address used to send the email was registered by the [[Hunan]] newspaper that Shi Tao worked for. Police went straight to his offices and picked him up. In [[February 2006]], Yahoo! General Counsel submitted a statement to the U.S. Congress in which Yahoo! denied knowing the true nature of the case against Shi Tao.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo's Statement before the U.S. Congress|url=http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/YahooStatement.pdf|publisher=nytimes.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> In April 2006, Yahoo! Holdings (Hong Kong) was investigated by [[Hong Kong]]'s [[Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data]]. On [[2 June]] [[2006]], the union representing journalists in the UK and Ireland ([[NUJ]]) called on its 40,000 members to boycott all Yahoo! Inc. products and services to protest the Internet company's reported actions in China.<ref>{{citeweb|title=British, Irish Journalists Urge Yahoo Boycott Over Chinese Cases|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198403,00.html|publisher=foxnews.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> In [[July 2007]], evidence surfaced detailing the warrant which the Chinese authorities sent to Yahoo! officials, highlighting "State Secrets" as the charge against Shi Tao. The warrant requests "Email account registration information for huoyan1989@yahoo.com.cn, all login times, corresponding IP addresses, and relevant email content from [[February 22]], [[2004]] to present."<ref>{{citeweb|title=Letter Casts Doubt On Yahoo China Testimony|url=http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/07/30/228254.shtml|publisher=yro.slashdot.org|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb|title= Police Document Sheds Additional Light on Shi Tao Case|url=http://www.duihua.org/2007/07/police-document-sheds-additional-light.html|publisher=duihua.org|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb|title=Beijing_State_Security_Bureau_Notice_of_Evidence_Collection|url=http://www.duihua.org/press/news/070725_ShiTao.pdf|publisher=duihua.org|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> Analyst reports and human rights organizations have said that this evidence directly contradicts Yahoo!'s testimony before the U.S. Congress in February 2006.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Rights Group Says Yahoo May Have Lied to Congress|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-07-31-voa18.cfm|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> Yahoo! contends it must respect the laws of governments in jurisdictions where it is operating. {{cquote|''It's complicated.''<ref name=dana/> |20px|20px|Michael Callaham, General Counsel, Yahoo!, testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee (2007)<ref>Michael Callaham, General Counsel, Yahoo, responding to a request for a promise that Yahoo! would not give in to similar demands by totalitarian regimes</ref>}} ===== Li Zhi ===== {{Main|Li Zhi (dissident)}} Criticism of Yahoo! intensified in February 2006 when Reporters Without Borders released Chinese court documents stating that Yahoo! aided Chinese authorities in the case of [[dissident]] Li Zhi. In December 2003 Li Zhi was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for "inciting [[subversion (political)|subversion]]". ===== Sued in US court for outing Chinese dissident Wang Xiaoning ===== {{main|Wang Xiaoning}} [[Wang Xiaoning]] is a [[Chinese people|Chinese]] [[dissident]] from [[Shenyang]] who was arrested by authorities of the [[People's Republic of China]] for publishing controversial material online. In 2000 and 2001, Wang, who was an engineer by profession, posted electronic journals in a Yahoo! group calling for democratic reform and an end to single-party rule. He was arrested in [[September 2002]] after Yahoo! assisted Chinese authorities by providing information. In [[September 2003]], Wang was convicted of charges of "incitement to subvert state power" and sentenced to ten years in prison.<ref>{{cite news|title= Chinese couple sue Yahoo in US over torture case | date= 2007-04-20| publisher= The Independent | url =http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2465946.ece}}</ref> On [[April 18]], [[2007]], Xiaoning's wife Yu Ling sued Yahoo! under human rights laws in federal court in [[San Francisco]], [[California]], [[United States]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/04/19/BUGU9PB4SG1.DTL&type=printable|title=Suit by wife of Chinese activist|author=Egelko, Bob|date=2007-04-19|publisher=SF Gate}}</ref> Wang Xiaoning is named as a [[plaintiff]] in the Yahoo! suit, which was filed with help from the [[World Organization for Human Rights USA]]. "Yahoo! is guilty of 'an act of corporate irresponsibility,'" said [[Morton Sklar]], executive director of the group. "Yahoo! had reason to know that if they provided China with identification information that those individuals would be arrested."<ref name="sue">{{cite news|title=Advocates Sue Yahoo In Chinese Torture Case|date=2007-04-20|publisher=The Washington Post|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/18/AR2007041802510.html?hpid=moreheadlines}}</ref> Yahoo!'s decision to assist China's authoritarian government came as part of a policy of reconciling its services with the Chinese government's policies. This came after China blocked Yahoo! services for a time. As reported in [[The Washington Post]] and many media sources: :The suit says that in 2001, Wang was using a Yahoo! e-mail account to post anonymous writings to an Internet mailing list. The suit alleges that Yahoo!, under pressure from the Chinese government, blocked that account. Wang set up a new account via Yahoo! and began sending material again; the suit alleges that Yahoo! gave the government information that allowed it to identify and arrest Wang in [[September 2002]]. The suit says prosecutors in the Chinese courts cited Yahoo!'s cooperation.<ref name="sue"/> Human rights organizations groups are basing their case on a 217-year-old U.S. law to punish corporations for human rights violations abroad, an effort the Bush administration has opposed: :In recent years, activists working with overseas plaintiffs have sued roughly two dozen businesses under the [[Alien Tort Claims Act]], which the activists say grants jurisdiction to American courts over acts abroad that violate international norms. Written by the [[Founding Fathers]] in 1789 for a different purpose, the law was rarely invoked until the 1980s.<ref name="sue"/> On [[August 28]], [[2007]], the World Organization for Human Rights sued Yahoo! for allegedly passing information ([[email]] and [[IP address]]) with the [[Chinese government]] that caused the [[arrests]] of writers and [[dissidents]]. The [[suit]] was filed in [[San Francisco]] for [[journalists]], [[Shi Tao]], and [[Wang Xiaoning]]. Yahoo! stated that it supported [[privacy]] and [[free expression]] for it worked with other technology companies to solve [[human rights]] concerns.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo plea over China rights case|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6966116.stm|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> On [[November 6]], [[2007]], the US congressional panel criticized Yahoo! for not giving full details to the [[House Foreign Affairs Committee]] the previous year, stating it had been "at best inexcusably negligent" and at worst "deceptive".<ref>{{citeweb|title=US rebukes Yahoo over China case|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7081458.stm|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> === Chatrooms and message boards === As a result of media scrutiny relating to Internet child predators and a lack of significant ad revenues, Yahoo!'s "user created" chatrooms were closed down in June 2005.<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo closes chat rooms over child sex concerns|url=http://news.com.com/Yahoo+closes+chat+rooms+over+child+sex+concerns/2100-1025_3-5759705.html|publisher=news.com|accessdate=2008-02-06}}</ref> Yahoo! News' message board section was closed [[December 19]], [[2006]], due to the [[troll (internet)|trolling]] phenomenon.<ref>{{citeweb|title=To Yahoo! News readers:|url=http://news.yahoo.com/page/messageboards|publisher=news.yahoo.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> === Image search === On [[May 25]], [[2006]], Yahoo!'s image search was criticized for bringing up sexually explicit images even when SafeSearch was on. This was discovered by a teacher who was intending to use the service with a class to search for "www". Yahoo!'s response to this was, "Yahoo! is aware of this issue and is working to resolve it as quickly as possible".<ref>{{citeweb|title=Yahoo! image search exposes school to porn|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/25/yahoo_school_project/|publisher=theregister.co.uk|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> === Shark finning controversy === Yahoo! is a 40% owner of [[Alibaba]], which facilitates the sale of [[shark#Shark fishery|shark-derived products]].<ref>{{citeweb|title=Sharks Circle China's Alibaba.com|url=http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jul2007/gb20070720_756191.htm|publisher=businessweek.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> After investing in Alibaba, Yahoo! executives were asked about this issue, and responded: "We know the sale of shark products is both legal in Asia and a centuries-old tradition. This issue is largely a cultural-practices one."<ref>{{citeweb|title=Moving a Mountain - Eco-Groups Pressure Yahoo! To Divest from Global Shark Finning|url=http://www.thescubastop.com/news/readnews.php?t=1670|publisher=thescubastop.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> However, the "cultural" claim (which is pushed by the trade)<ref>{{citeweb|title=Disney Hong Kong insists on shark's fin-soup meals |url=http://www.mickeynews.com/News/DisplayPressRelease.asp_Q_id_E_5295Soup|publisher=mickeynews.com|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> has been contested.<ref>{{citeweb|title=The Standard: Disney ducks shark attacks|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Metro/GE25Ak01.html|publisher=thestandard.com.hk|accessdate=2008-02-25}}</ref> == Financial data == {| class="wikitable" border="3" style="text-align:right" |+ Financial data, US$ million<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.opesc.org/fiche-societe/fiche-societe.php?entreprise=YAHOO|title=Data source |accessdate=2008-03-16 |publisher= OpesC}}</ref> ! Year ! 2003 ! 2004 ! 2005 ! 2006 ! 2007 |----- |align="left"| [[Sales]] | 1 625 | 3 574 | 5 258 | 6 426 | 6 969 |----- |align="left"| [[EBITDA]] | 453 | 1 000 | 1 505 | 1 066 |----- |align="left"| [[Net Results]] | 238 | 840 | 1 896 | 751 | 660 |----- |align="left"| [[Employment#Employee|Staff]] | 5 500 | 7 600 | 9 800 | 11 400 |} == Yahoo! International == {{Mergefrom|Yahoo!Xtra|Talk:Yahoo!Xtra#Merger proposal|date=December 2007}} <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Yahoo Portals.JPG|right|500px|thumb|Countries with a Yahoo! Portal]] --> Yahoo! is known across the world with its multi-lingual interface. The site is available in over 20 languages, including English. The official directory for all of the Yahoo! International sites is ''world.yahoo.com''. Each of the international sites are wholly-owned by Yahoo!, with the exception of Yahoo! Japan¹, in which it holds a 33% minority stake. Historically, Yahoo! entered into joint venture agreements with [[Softbank]] for the major European sites² (UK, France, Germany) and well as Korea and Japan. In November 2005, Yahoo! purchased the minority interests that Softbank owned in Europe and Korea. Yahoo! hold a state 40% stake of [[Alibaba Group|Alibaba]]. Which manages their Yahoo! China web portal. == Yahoo! logo == Yahoo! logos come in many different colors and shapes.<ref name="press" /> The first logo was used when the company was founded in 1995; it was red, and it had three icons on each side of it. Even though the official logo is purple,<ref>[http://www.logoorange.com/logodesign-Y.php "Yahoo Logo Design", Logo Design History]</ref> the logo used on the main page ''yahoo.com'' is red with a black outline and shadow. Sometimes the logo is abbreviated with Y!.<ref name="press"> [http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/photos_logos.cfm Yahoo Press Room]</ref> == See also == * [[Criticism of Yahoo!]] * [[List of acquisitions by Yahoo!]] * [[List of search engines]] * [[List of web analytics software]] * [[Timeline of events for Yahoo!]] * [[YMSG]] - Yahoo! Messenger Protocol == Notes and references == {{reflist|2}} == External links == {{Companies portal}} * [http://www.yahoo.com/ Official website] ** [http://addresses.yahoo.com/ Yahoo address book] ** [http://calendar.yahoo.com/ Yahoo calendar] ** [http://mail.yahoo.com/ Yahoo mail] ** [http://notepad.yahoo.com/ Yahoo notepad] * [http://ycorpblog.com/ Yodel Anecdotal corporate blog] * [http://docs.yahoo.com/info/pr/milestones.html Corporate milestones] * [http://docs.yahoo.com/info/misc/history.html The History of Yahoo! - How It All Started...] * [http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/displayevent.aspx?rID=2629&fID=345 Yahoo! Jerry and Dave's Excellent Venture] (Video about the beginnings of Yahoo!) * [http://web.archive.org/web/19961017235908/http://www2.yahoo.com/ Earliest known Yahoo! website from 1996] {{Yahoo! Inc.}} {{NASDAQ-100}} [[Category:Yahoo!| ]] [[Category:Companies based in Silicon Valley]] [[Category:Companies established in 1995]] [[Category:Global internet community]] [[Category:Internet companies of the United States]] [[Category:Internet search engines]] [[Category:Internet services supporting OpenID]] [[Category:Online companies]] [[Category:Web portals]] [[Category:Web service providers]] [[Category:Publicly traded companies]] [[am:ያሁ]] [[ar:ياهو!]] [[az:Yahoo!]] [[bn:ইয়াহু!]] [[bg:Yahoo!]] [[ca:Yahoo!]] [[cs:Yahoo!]] [[da:Yahoo!]] [[de:Yahoo]] [[el:Yahoo!]] [[es:Yahoo!]] [[eo:Yahoo!]] [[eu:Yahoo!]] [[fa:یاهو]] [[fr:Yahoo!]] [[ko:야후!]] [[hi:याहू]] [[id:Yahoo!]] [[is:Yahoo!]] [[it:Yahoo!]] [[he:Yahoo!]] [[jv:Yahoo!]] [[kn:ಯಾಹೂ]] [[ka:Yahoo!]] [[la:Yahoo!]] [[lv:Yahoo!]] [[lt:Yahoo!]] [[ln:Yahoo]] [[hu:Yahoo!]] [[ml:യാഹൂ!]] [[mr:याहू]] [[arz:ياهو]] [[ms:Yahoo!]] [[nl:Yahoo!]] [[ja:Yahoo!]] [[no:Yahoo!]] [[nn:Yahoo!]] [[uz:Yahoo!]] [[km:Yahoo!]] [[pl:Yahoo!]] [[pt:Yahoo!]] [[ro:Yahoo!]] [[ru:Yahoo!]] [[sah:Yahoo]] [[sq:Yahoo!]] [[simple:Yahoo!]] [[sk:Yahoo!]] [[sr:Јаху]] [[fi:Yahoo!]] [[sv:Yahoo!]] [[tl:Yahoo!]] [[ta:யாகூ!]] [[te:యాహూ!]] [[th:ยาฮู!]] [[tr:Yahoo!]] [[uk:Yahoo!]] [[vi:Yahoo!]] [[yi:יאהו]] [[zh-yue:Yahoo!]] [[bat-smg:Yahoo!]] [[zh:雅まさ虎とら]]'