Hold on a moment, I still need to change the registered email address of my Weibo account. When interviewed by IT Times, citizen Mr. Zhou (a pseudonym) was busy adjusting his registered information on various social websites. To be specific, it's all because Yahoo China stopped its email service on April 18th. Since many people use their Yahoo email as their registration name for Renren Network and Apple ID, the entire moving project is quite significant.The sudden farewell of Yahoo China Email has once again exposed an already existing concern in people's internet lives: when an email address becomes one's network ID card, who can guarantee that it will accompany you for life just like a real ID card?Reporter InvestigationPulling one hair moves the whole bodyIn China, although the access volume of Yahoo Mail has been continuously declining over the past two years, currently only accounting for about 1.9%, there are still quite a few loyal Chinese fans. Once the email service closes, it will have a great impact on them. Xiaolin, who works in the financial industry, told the IT Times reporter that her JD.com, Renren Network, Alipay, Sina Weibo, and Apple Store accounts all use her Yahoo email. Now, each one needs to be changed to a new account, requiring negotiations with customer service personnel, which is quite troublesome.Zhou Jin, who works in the media, said to the reporter that he mainly contacts interviewees through email. If the email service is shut down, he will need to re-notify the other party.This isn't the worst part yet; the key issue is that a large amount of interview materials and personal information of interviewees are stored in the email box, and this same email is also used to bind his bank card confidential email. After the email service is closed in the future, will these pieces of information be leaked?Although PR personnel from Yahoo China stated that these inconveniences do exist, therefore Yahoo has left four months' time for users to migrate, and Yahoo Company has also promised not to leak any user privacy. However, in fact, under the general lack of real-name certification on the Internet, email serves as an important electronic ID, carrying much account information and verification information, thus causing a series of chain reactions due to the closure of the email service.Sina Weibo issued an announcement explaining to people that the Weibo account is merely an ID and does not require modification. However, if users have set their Yahoo email as their security email, they are advised to immediately modify it, and a modification channel has been opened. It is relatively troublesome to modify information on social websites such as Renren Network, requiring going through the account appeal process, where users re-provide various personal information, and the modification time is also relatively long.Lawyer’s OpinionLack of legal constraints on free servicesYahoo Mail, which once promised lifetime service, now departs, leaving thousands of injured users seemingly without any other recourse besides frustration and worry. More worrying is whether Yahoo Mail will be the first to go?IT Times reporters found that in the email registration agreements of some enterprises, clauses avoiding risks are included. In the NetEase Passport registration terms, it is written: NetEase may add or delete functions, or even suspend or completely stop a certain service. Users agree that NetEase has the right to exercise the above rights without bearing any responsibility towards users or third parties. In the Sina Mail registration agreement, it is written: Sina has the right at any time to terminate the Sina Free Mail service without any reason. For users, they can only choose Yes or No, without any room for negotiation.Chen Gang, Deputy Director of Shanghai Ruifu Law Firm, said to the IT Times reporter that currently there is a lack of relevant legal constraints on free email services. Once a network enterprise stops its service, users find it difficult to protect their rights. Especially with the development of the Internet, email addresses, QQ numbers, game accounts, and other Internet accounts are no longer simple login symbols. They may contain a large amount of private information and substantial virtual property. If what were shut down were not Yahoo Mail but rather high-level game accounts or Weibo accounts with a large number of followers, the losses would be even greater. Various Internet services urgently need independent legislation and regulation.Industry ObservationIs charging and real-name system the inevitable trend?During the first wave of China's Internet entrepreneurship, email services were almost standard features for all websites. Over the past dozen years, free email services that have fallen include eLong, YiTang, and 263 Free Mail, while free email services from major portal sites like Sina and Sohu are no longer strategic priorities. With the rapid development of paid email services like 263 Paid Mail and NetEase Corporate Mail, people have instead seen a glimmer of hope in the paid email model.Free email services are basically money-losing ventures. Former CEO of Yahoo China and Internet analyst Xie Wen introduced that email is a product with high investment and low returns, so many Internet companies that engage in email services give up after failing to find value in them. Only continuous investment in free email services can lead to a place in the market after achieving a certain scale. The reporter learned that in the first quarter of this year, the number of NetEase Mail users reached 550 million. Calculating by an average of 10G per person, the total capacity reaches 5.371 million T, requiring a significant amount of server and bandwidth resources.Xiang Ligang, CEO of Feixiang Network, believes that currently there are two business models for email services. One is making money directly through paid email services, which provide more comprehensive services and higher security, but people's acceptance is still relatively low, generally used by enterprises; the other is free email services, which do not charge users but generate income through advertisements and third-party value-added services. Small businesses find it hard to sustain such free services, which may eventually concentrate on a few Internet giants like NetEase, QQ, and Sina. Charging might become a trend.Paid email services have many advantages, including fast access speed, high security, and fewer spam emails. In case of issues like closure, users can claim compensation from the service provider. There might be another future trend: the promotion of real-name email systems. Emails bound to personal identity information are less likely to lose their information. Xiang Ligang suggests that for safety reasons, users should ideally configure both free and paid email services simultaneously. Additionally, important email information should be backed up in a timely manner to prevent any mishaps.