Should Justin Ellsworth's Parents Have Been Given Access to His Email?

Should Justin Ellsworth's Parents have been given access to his email?

Dealing with having my own personal Yahoo! emails hacked recently, I find it enlightening that Yahoo! was so staunch in withholding the email information from his family. But with the understanding that each situation has different factors, and requires different remedies, I do believe that Yahoo! was right in withholding the password information. It is almost impossible today to find a full-proof system to ensure complete privacy. Signing up for the email account initially, he was presented with Yahoo!’s security policy which includes information about how to protect or limit access to the email account. This policy is rarely taken into consideration when a user actually opens the account.

Another point in this situation is that a person’s rights do not end upon death. When a person dies, if there is a binding will, there will be an executor assigned. If there is no will the closest family member will be placed in charge of the person’s personal and financial information. A person must be legally proven to have the right to view any information belonging to another.

From the Utilitarian standpoint, Yahoo! could have opted for the automatic ‘good guy’ option. When his parents requested the account password, it would have been very easy to think, “Of course give them the password.” It would be pretty cut and dry. A young man dies in line of duty; his parents are handling all of his affairs and request that information, as well as dealing with the loss of their son. Their desire to know his thoughts or feelings would almost immediately be the deciding factor. It seems an easy decision. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Yahoo! decided to take the deontological standpoint.

Yahoo! made their choice to NOT give the password that they requested based on the contractual rights of the account holder. This meant that it would require legal verification to pass that information...