Oops! Yahoo Japan erases 4.5 million e-mails

Yahoo Japan accidentally erased nearly 4.5 million e-mails after the system incorrectly labeled them as spam messages, according to a report by the Kyodo news agency that was picked up by United Press International. Another 5 million e-mails were temporarily unavailable. Most of the e-mails had been sent in bulk between December 26 and February 26, the article said. A Yahoo Mail spokeswoman in the United States did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.

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