Yahoo accepts Google and Facebook account logins

WEB PORTAL Yahoo will allow users to login to its services using Google and Facebook accounts.

Yahoo, which last year palmed off its search operation to Microsoft's Bing, announced that it will start accepting Google and Facebook account logins via the OpenID authentication protocol. The move is the latest in the firm's acceptance that its influence over web users is waning.

"Eliminating the need to create and remember yet another ID and password ultimately benefits the Web community - both end-users and web site providers," said Yahoo. While Yahoo is correct in that many web users will appreciate having to remember fewer account details, the fact that Yahoo is enabling access from competitors' accounts and not vice versa shows how far it has fallen in the last decade.

Attempting to justify its decision, Yahoo said that its move will "streamline the Yahoo user identity creation process and can further personalize user experience across Yahoo services". The firm also said that it intends to enable access from other website accounts in the future.

Before that takes place, Yahoo needs to iron out problems such as the inability to sign in via Flickr mobile or desktop clients using OpenID. Given that Yahoo has jumped into OpenID development, we imagine that web users can expect heavy integration of OpenID authentication at Yahoo in the near future.

The rollout of Yahoo's OpenID authentication system will start tomorrow. One wonders if Google and Facebook will bother to reciprocate by allowing Yahoo accounts to access their services. µ