Yahoo Denies Dead Soldier’s Family Email Access

There’s a story on the AP wires today that underscores just how knotty privacy issues can become. The family of Lance Cpl. Justin M. Ellsworth, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq on November 13, has been repeatedly denied the soldier’s email password by Yahoo because it unmistakably violates the company’s policy of making accounts non-transferable even in the case of death. For its part, the family wants the emails as a way of remembrance. Should Yahoo make an exception in this case or remain strict about its privacy policy?