Choosing “Accept all” on Yahoo’s privacy prompt can allow Yahoo and its partners to use more than basic cookies. The choice may include the use of precise geolocation, technical identifiers, browsing data, and search data for advertising, analytics, and research.
Yahoo says cookies are used first to make its sites and apps work. They also support user authentication, security measures, spam prevention, abuse prevention, and measurement of how visitors use its services.
What Yahoo says cookies are used for
| Purpose | How Yahoo describes it |
|---|---|
| Site and app access | Provide Yahoo sites and apps to users. |
| Security | Authenticate users and help prevent spam and abuse. |
| Measurement | Measure the use of sites and apps. |
The measurement information can include visitor counts, device type, browser type, and the duration of a visit. Yahoo says this information is collected in aggregate and is not tied to specific users.
What changes with “Accept all”
Yahoo states that accepting all allows it and its partners, including 250 participants in the IAB Transparency & Consent Framework, to store or access information on a device. This can involve cookies as well as the use of precise location data and other personal data.
The additional data can include technical identifiers, browsing data, and search data. Yahoo describes technical identifiers as system-generated strings that may identify a device or user, including browser cookies, device IDs, and IP addresses.
Those identifiers may also be derived from hashed or encrypted email addresses or through statistical matching with other identifiers. Yahoo says the data may be used for personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research, analytics, and service development.
Rejecting or changing the choice
Users who do not want Yahoo and its partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes can select “Reject all.” Users can also select “Manage privacy settings” to customise their choices.
Yahoo says consent can be withdrawn or updated later through “Privacy and Cookie settings” or the “Privacy dashboard” links on its sites and apps. Its privacy and cookie policies provide further information about how personal data is used.