I've just read, in The Sunday Telegraph, of John Ellsworth's attempt to get Yahoo! to release his deceased son's e-mails.
ABC News on the story
Searching on-line gives little extra detail except for 'crackers' offering to attempt to get the e-mails illicitly.

I can understand both sides to this problem. The father wants to follow his son's wishes. Yahoo! need to follow their contract with the son over confidentiality matters.

Can someone who knows the 'Powers That Be', or who knowns John Ellsworth, not put forward a compromise acceptable to both?

I assume that Yahoo! accept that there were two parties to each of the e-mails stored (the originator & recipient. My idea for the way forward would be for Yahoo! to return all L/Cpl Justin Ellworth's incoming e-mails which are still in his 'saved mail' store to the originators, with a covering note suggesting that the original author may wish to re-send the email (together with original header etc for date details) to the father.
Similarly all of Justin's sent e-mails could be re-sent with a similar covering letter.

Of course, it may be better, if a little more long-winded, for Yahoo! to approach all the third parties for permission to release. This would prevent changed or fictional mails being added to what the father receives.

Now all that's needed is for this suggestion to find its way to the right hands.


CHEERS

Nigel