Yahoo to encrypt users’ data

Yahoo has announced it will encrypt all user information that moves between its data centres by the end of March 2014, BBC News reported.

The internet provider said it had taken this step after allegations the US government had secretly accessed users' data without the company's knowledge.

In October the Washington Post obtained documents from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

They alleged the agency had broken in to the main communication links that connect Yahoo's data centres.

The company had already revealed plans to encrypt email communications from January 2014 after previous allegations of government agencies accessing email traffic.

In a statement released on the company's Tumblr account on Monday, chief executive Marissa Mayer said: "I want to reiterate what we have said in the past - Yahoo has never given access to our data centres to the NSA or to any other government agency. Ever.

"There is nothing more important to us than protecting our users' privacy."

Users will also be given the option to encrypt communications between themselves and Yahoo.