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AOL must have missed the uproar over the DOJ’s demand for “anonymized” search data last year that caused all sorts of pain for Microsoft and Google. That’s the only way to explain their release of data that includes 20 million web queries from 650,000 AOL users. The data includes all searches from those users for a three month period this year, as well as whether they clicked on a result, what that result was and where it appeared on the result page. It’s a 439 MB compressed download, expanded to just over 2 gigs. The data is available here (this link is directly to the file) and the output is in ten text files, tab delineated. The utter stupidity of this is staggering. AOL has released very private data about its users without their permission. While the AOL username has been changed to a random ID number, the abilitiy to analyze all searches by a single user will often lead people to easily determine who the user is, and what they are up to. The data includes personal names, addresses, social security numbers and everything else someone might type into a search box.
Sometime around 7 pm PST on Sunday, the AOL site referred to below was taken down. The direct link to the data is still live.
Sometime after 7 pm the download link went down as well, but there is at least one mirror site. AOL is in damage control mode - the fact that they took the data down shows that someone there had the sense to realize how destructive this was, but it is also an admission of wrongdoing of sorts. Either way, the data is now out there for anyone that wants to use (or abuse) it.
AOL is apologizing in the aftermath of yesterday’s story about their voluntary release of search data on 650,000 users. In addition to removing the data, AOL spokesperson Weinstein has left comments on blogs, including ours, and to the press in general
All –This was a screw up, and we’re angry and upset about it. It was an innocent enough attempt to reach out to the academic community with new research tools, but it was obviously not appropriately vetted, and if it had been, it would have been stopped in an instant.Although there was no personally-identifiable data linked to these accounts, we’re absolutely not defending this. It was a mistake, and we apologize. We’ve launched an internal investigation into what happened, and we are taking steps to ensure that this type of thing never happens again.Here was what was mistakenly released:* Search data for roughly 658,000 anonymized users over a three month period from March to May.* There was no personally identifiable data provided by AOL with those records, but search queries themselves can sometimes include such information.* According to comScore Media Metrix, the AOL search network had 42.7 million unique visitors in May, so the total data set covered roughly 1.5% of May search users.* Roughly 20 million search records over that period, so the data included roughly 1/3 of one percent of the total searches conducted through the AOL network over that period.* The searches included as part of this data only included U.S. searches conducted within the AOL client software.We apologize again for the release.Andrew WeinsteinAOL Spokesman
Washington, D.C. - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate America Online (AOL) and require changes in its privacy practices, after the company recently released search history logs that exposed the private lives of more than a half-million of its customers......"We've asked the FTC to make sure that AOL rectifies the damage that's been done and improve its privacy protections for the future," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "But this problem isn't limited to AOL -- every search company stores this kind of data. Hopefully, AOL's shocking violation of its users' privacy will spur Congress to clarify that the same law that prevents these companies from disclosing our personal emails also applies to our search logs."
We bieng a reputed brand name, guarantee the best security and privacy and we will never ever do that.
"My Goodness, it's my whole personal life. I had no idea somebody was looking over my shoulder."That was {name removed in repost}, a 62-year-old widow from {removed in repost}, yesterday, after a New York Times reporter read to her a list of the things she'd typed into America Online's search engine:"numb fingers""60 single men""dog that urinates on everything."AOL hadn't identified her. Not by name. She was just listed as AOL user number {removed in repost} when the Internet provider released 20 million Web search queries that 657,000 of its customers had typed over a three-month period......
AOL apologised for accidentally giving details of 20 million search queries by US customers earlier this month, admitting the breach was a "screw-up". Although the queries were anonymous, there were fears the search details may contain personally identifiable data. Chief technology officer (CTO) Maureen Govern has now left the company. According to Reuters - which cited a company memo announcing the changes - she has been replaced by former CTO John McKinley. AOL has not commented on the issue.
