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I dont use AOL phew! Not that i have anything to hide! However, the story is this, at 7pm on the 7th August 2006, AOL released over 500k+ users individual search queries within a 3 month period of this year (March through May 2006), It also includes indications of whether or not a user actually clicked on a search result, what the result was, and what rank the result held on the search results page.

Each keyword/phrase was linked to the AOL user ID, which can be tracked back to the persons actual AOL username and email address. I find this kind of crazy.

Michael Arrington, the man behind the popular blog TechCrunch, says

“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 ability to analyse 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.”

He elaborates on the potential consequences of this data being made available to the public by saying,

“The most serious problem is the fact that many people often search on their own name, or those of their friends and family, to see what information is available about them on the net. Combine these ego searches with porn queries and you have a serious embarrassment. Combine them with ‘buy ecstasy’ and you have evidence of a crime. Combine it with an address, social security number, etc., and you have an identity theft waiting to happen. The possibilities are endless.”

Other people have analysed the data and found some disturbing things, this for instance… AOL Search Data Shows Users Planning to commit Murder.

AOL did make a disclaimer:

“This collection is distributed for non-commercial research use only. Any application of this collection for commercial purposes is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.”

But it’s obvious that this does not justify or excuse them for such an unconscionable lack of judgment.

Google will surely feel some of the consequences of this calamity, partly because AOL’s search engine is essentially Google’s search engine repackaged. As a result of this, Google will find more spam sites (including “splogs,” a word used to describe sites made for the sole purpose of making money from online ads) to fight.

The full data can be downloaded here (439MB).

Full story at TechCrunch.

This is really useful information for spammers and the affliate advertising world. Now they can see what keywords are the most popular.. anyway.. what do you guys think? Imagine the data Google has!…