AOL apologizes for release of user search data

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

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.


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