RSSEFF Demands FTC Investigate AOL
By Nate Mook | Published August 15, 2006, 12:43 PM
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed an official complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, demanding an investigation into the release of massive amounts of search data by AOL. The EFF also wants the FTC to require AOL to change its privacy practices.
AOL intentionally published the data in late July on its research site, although reports of the release only surfaced last week. The data included three months of search queries from 650,000 users, each identified by a number. AOL, like other major search engines including Google and Yahoo, logs the activity of its users.
Following a barrage of criticism over personal information included in the search queries -- potentially enabling users' identifies to be uncovered -- AOL pulled the data and issued an apology. The company said it was "upset and angry" in a statement, but defended the academic premise of the offering.
But the cat was already out of the bag and the search data soon appeared on numerous other Web sites. One site, aolstalker.com, has indexed the information and lets users sift through it for specific keywords. The New York Times recently connected one user with an actual person in a story on the matter.
The EFF asserts that AOL violated its own privacy policy and calls on the FTC to investigate. It asks that AOL notify customers affected by the disclosure and stop logging search data except where absolutely necessary.
"Search terms can expose the most intimate details of a person's life -- private information about your family problems, your medical history, your financial situation, your political and religious beliefs, your sexual preferences, and much more," said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann in a statement.
It is common for many Web surfers to use search engines in order to see what is posted about themselves or their family on the Internet. In fact, several consumer groups actively suggest "Googling" to ensure their personal data is not compromised.
At least one searcher, user 17556639, searched multiple times on topics of how to kill his wife, along with pictures of dead people, murders, car crashes, and decapitations. The EFF says it has submitted to the FTC specific examples of where information in the search data can be used to identify specific AOL subscribers.
"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," commented EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "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."
AOL senior executive Jason Calacanis commented on the data release aftermath in his Web log. "I've been discussing what these smart people are saying about us with anyone and everyone at AOL who will listen to me," he said.
"I'm thinking about planning a corporate retreat where we bring these folks in and have them just vent on us and point out all the problems we have. It would be brutal, but as they say "the truth shall make you free." Also, the first step in sucking less, is knowing you suck."
You must all be idiots not to know how harmful this is to the customers of AOHell. You b**** and moan about how the government knows things and has analysis to figure things out about us. Well guess what, the civilian world has analysis too. Next time the guy you don't know walks up to you and says, "hi, happy birthday", and you have no idea who he is I bet you'll think differently. Privacy is the security of the U.S. Its the freedom that is not specified in the Constitution that makes us who we are as a Nation. The right to bear arms was inacted to protect that privacy. Not just to defend the Nation but to defend ones home and beliefs. And the key word here is "Defend." No one has the right to impose there beliefs on someone else. But we all have the right to DEFEND our own. I'm simply amazed how people keep taking the climate of FEAR and turning it into anything they want. PAY ATTENTION. Forest vs Trees. I guess I can setup a company and included America in the name and get away with anything too.
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|Well the world now knows about all that porn searching and surfing that you all do! :-)
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|http://www.cnn.com/2006/...mmer.gold.ap/index.html
Far more interesting AOL article.
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|remember folks, if you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to worry about. lmao.
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|While I agree with your sarcasm in this case. I believe there are certain cases where that is actually true.
I still believe that the NSA should (and probably does) have access to any information they need to do their jobs. The difference is, access to the information is limited to one organization. In this case (AOL's search data), the information has been released to anyone who wants it...
Uh oh... I may have just started an argument I don't have time for...
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|AOL intentionally published the data in late July on its research site
Ummm.... didn't AOL say an employee did it without authorization?
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|Like many oldies have always said.
AOL SUCKS!
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|Like many oldies have always said.
AOL SUCKS!
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Just "AOL SUCKS!", eh? Those "oldies" are mental midgets if they offer nothing else except those words.
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|Who cares about privacy? (and I'm not being sarcastic)
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|:Raise Hand:
Oh, wait...dammit, now you know I disagree with you.
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|I do!
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|Wow. I'm not sure how to respond to that.
BTW, your daughter is hot, can I have her cell phone number? Oh, forget it. I got it already.
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|well geez, when you put it that way ...
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|Granted it was a pervy argument, but everyone has information they don't want the general public to have.
Anyone who disagrees can post their credit card numbers. (Please don't forget the Name printed on the card and the expiration date)
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|Yeah only people with dirty secrets shoud worry about their privacy !!!
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|Including your credit card mailing address and that 3 digit number on the back of your card. Some web sites want that.
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|At least one searcher, user 17556639, searched multiple times on topics of how to kill his wife, along with pictures of dead people, murders, car crashes, and decapitations.
haha.
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|indicative of the average aol user?
haHA.
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|Probably making murder weapons out of free AOL disks received in the mail.:)
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|No, that average AOL user would be searching for things like:
Where does the internet come from?
Methods of using a computer for suicide
Why can't I download a 50mb porn movie on this dialup?
How can AOL cripple my business by using an @AOL.com address?
Am I really paying for this crap?
How many ads can on Web Browse contain?
Where are the Dirty Granny websites?
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|it is because of these random searches that one finds the best sites on the web.......
One day i typed "midget porn" and BN was the first search result to come up ...
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|Glad I'm in a conference room by myself because I'm laughing out loud. I knew people in college who had broadband access that still used AOL because they thought that was the only way to get on the internet.
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|you give them to much credit, I would expect more things like:
How do I tie a shoe that doesn't use Velcro?
Where can I sign up for more services that suck yet charge me alot?
Does it snow at the North Pole?
What do I do when the coffee cup holder on my computer won't come out when I push the button?
Viruses: Fact or Fiction?
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|Gee. I haven't already heard that 3918798751230 times...
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|Well AOL saved a life so it was justified *laughs
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