August 7th, 2006
AOL Releases Search Data for 650,000 Users
By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
Depending on who you ask, it’s either 500,000 users or 650,000 users, but either way it’s bad. AOL made search data for … well, tons of users, available for anyone who knew the link (AOL’s research website). Since then the data’s been taken down but you can still find it if you look hard enough.
The company freely made available the private search history of over 650,000 users without permission. The 439MB compressed download features over 20 million search queries over a three month period and was made available on AOL’s research website along with a readme file detailing the results. In an effort to ease damage control, AOL has removed both links, but mirrors for both the search data and the AOL readme (for better or worse) are mirrored at multiple sites. Source: DailyTech
We Say: Since AOL made news last week by saying they were going to offer services for free, is this a case of “you get what you pay for?” 
Meaning, that now that stuff is free we can expect poor (or maybe I mean poorer) service or security from AOL? Boy, am I glad I never, in my entire Internet life, fell for the AOL CD in the mail.
Update: AOL has apologized for the release of the data. That makes me feel just as good as the VA did when they apologized for the laptop theft.
Dave says:
Wait until the web pages open up where you can post your list of solved ID numbers. Since my employer uses AOL, I fully expect that my boss, his wife, and his son are on the list somewhere. (Fortunately, I never used AOL for searching.)
Welcome to the age of the Distributed Denial of Privacy Attack.
August 7th, 2006 at 11:24 am
John says:
AOL has always been free! pop in the CD, tell the virus software to calm down, repeatedly…. sign up for service, and the day (or week) before you start to get billed, call the nifty 1-800 number and cancel the service. The operator will tell you that there is a new free trial program and offer you another 2-3 months free “to decide if you REALLY want to cancel”. Keep doing this until you upgrade to DSL/Cable/FiOS….
August 7th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Afraid of Ending Up Like AOL Searcher 4417749? Get “Lost in The Crowd” | Etixet Tag Cloud Archive 10.000 Web Site Feed says:
[…] Unfortunately for AOL Searcher 4417749, there was enough info in AOL’s searcher data, released for 650,000 users, to be IDed by the New York Times. If you’re afraid of this happening to you, web developers at Unspam Technologies Inc. have a tool for you. Lost In The Crowd randomly generates queries to confuse anyone who might look through future search records. Users download a search engine bookmark from Lost In The Crowd before going to the search engine and clicking on the bookmark. […]
January 7th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
d17dfa8d3467 says:
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May 9th, 2008 at 2:11 pm