Yahoo, Google envision spy-free emails

Yahoo Inc. said Thursday it will join an effort by rival Google Inc. to create a secure email system by next year that could make it nearly impossible for hackers or government officials to read users' messages. Even the email providers themselves won't be able to decrypt messages, according to the Wall Street Journal.

If successful, the effort would mark the first step in advanced privacy technology for a widely used consumer service.

Yahoo's move comes as large technology companies put increased emphasis on warding off government spies and hackers. Google on Thursday announced encrypted websites now will fare better in its search results. Microsoft Corp. recently unsuccessfully fought a U.S. government request for data stored in Ireland.

Read more from the Wall Street Journal.