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AOL apologizes for release of user search data
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 16:03:29 -0400
They need new management djf Begin forwarded message: From: "Denning, Dorothy (CIV)" <dedennin () nps edu> Date: August 7, 2006 3:56:10 PM EDT To: dave () farber net Subject: RE: [IP] Message re AOL search data release blocked by AOL AOL apologizes for release of user search data By Dawn Kawamoto http://news.com.com/AOL+apologizes+for+release+of+user+search+data/2100- 1030_3-6102793.html AOL apologized on Monday for releasing search-log data on subscribers that had been intended for use with AOL's newly launched research site. The randomly selected data, which focused on 658,000 subscribers and posted 10 days ago, was among the tools intended for use on the recently launched AOL Research site, according to published reports on various blog sites. But the Internet giant has since removed the search logs from public view. "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," AOL, a unit of Time Warner, said in a statement. "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." Although AOL had used identification numbers rather than names or user IDs when listing the search logs, that did not quell concerns of privacy advocates, who said that anyone among the 658,000 could easily be identified based on the searches each individual conducted. "It's reasonably easy for people to see what their neighbors are searching for, since most people usually google themselves," said Rebecca Jeschke, a spokeswoman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The release of the search logs runs counter to a court ruling in March, when a federal judge rejected efforts by the Department of Justice to gain access to Google users' search logs. The court, however, determined the Justice Dept. could have limited access to Google's index of Web sites. Google was the only search engine to fight the Justice Dept., with Yahoo, MSN and AOL turning over their users' search data. "All search engines collect this kind of user data and it's valuable to marketers, insurance companies, people involved in divorce and custody battles," Jeschke said. "If this information is available, there is a lot of temptation to release it." The search-log data, culled from March to May, represents approximately 1.5 percent of AOL's search network in May. The data applied to only U.S. searches by AOL subcribers using the company's client software. Copyright (c)1995-2006 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- AOL apologizes for release of user search data David Farber (Aug 07)