Yahoo Privacy Practices Probed

The Federal Trade Commission has opened an inquiry into some of Yahoo Inc.’s consumer information practices, according to a report the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Yahoo spokeswoman Diane Hunt said the company is voluntarily providing information to the agency. Yahoo believes the FTC inquiry was promoted by a report issued in January by the California Healthcare Foundation, an Oakland-based philanthropic organization. That study warned consumers that 21 leading health-related Web sites, including Yahoo, may compromise user privacy. The study indicated that Yahoo gathers personal health data without sufficient protection from disclosure to other companies, and without adequate means for users to “opt out” of programs that disclose personal data. “We take privacy very seriously,” Hunt said, “and we’re proud of our record.”