Is it possible for them to know the place where a web-based email account was created?

Question

My friend created a new yahoo mail account at home and went to an internet cafe to send anynomous email to a freind to clarify the problem. If the police was unable to know her because she sent the email from an internet cafe, is it possible for them to know that she created her new email account (not the message) at home?

Answer 1

It is possible but it would take a lot of work. Yahoo has her ip address in their web log. The police could find the service provider with it and ask them what customer was assigned that ip address at the time the yahoo account was created. It would be more difficult if she created the account with a proxy server or an anonymous browsing service.  

Answer 2

Yes - regardless of where she sent it from, her account (in this case, Yahoo Mail) is indeed easily tracked to the one who originally opened it.

Answer 3

Yahoo logs IP addresses when you create an account, which can trace you to where you live.  However, unless your friend was involved in serious felonies through that email account, Yahoo will not release the IP address to the police.  I'm talking serious stuff, like drug dealing, terrorism etc.

So I wouldn't worry about.

Answer 4

No.