You really ought to have a Yahoo ID, says Yahoo.
Have you been using Google or Facebook to sign into Yahoo services such as Flickr or Fantasy Sports? You won’t be able to in the future, as Yahoo will eventually require a proper Yahoo account instead.
Reuters reports that the shift will occur gradually, and that Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’Em will be the first service to require a Yahoo login:
“Yahoo is continually working on improving the user experience,” the company said in a statement, noting that the new process “will allow us to offer the best personalized experience to everyone.”
Translation: We’d like to be able to have better-targeted advertising by requiring a single sign-in. The same strategy’s working out pretty well for Google, after all.
Okay, maybe that’s a little cynical. If you’re using lots of Yahoo services, it surely makes sense to have a single login for all of them. And with Yahoo buying up companies that deal with contextual information, such as Donna and Aviate, it’s possible the company wants in on the AI/virtual assistant craze to compete with Google, Apple and Microsoft. If that’s the case, having a single point of entry into Yahoo services is essential.
Not that those reasons are any consolation if you basically just use Yahoo for Fantasy Football. Hope you enjoy your new Yahoo Mail account!