Yahoo is hoping to turn on a new sharing option in its popular e-mail service without shocking users who prize their privacy.
That's why the Internet company is advising its 280 million e-mail accountholders to review their privacy settings along with their incoming messages.
Yahoo Inc. posted the privacy reminder this week as it prepares to unveil new features for sharing its e-mail users' online activities and interests with people listed in their address books. Users must take certain steps to prevent the information from being broadcast.
The changes have been long planned, but Yahoo is treading carefully after seeing both Facebook and Google Inc. stumble recently when they retooled their services so more personal information would appear on the Web.