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AOL`s Apology for Revealing User Search Data

AOL has apologized for revealing search log data on 658,000 subscribers. The posted data, which was selected randomly, was among the tools that were about to be used on the recently launched AOL Research site. But the Internet giant has since removed the search logs from public view. AOL said in a statement: "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".

Even though AOL used identification numbers rather than names or user IDs when listing the search logs, privacy advocates say anyone among the 658,000 could easily be identified based on the searches each individual conducted.

The privacy advocates noted that with bits of information, a "mosaic" could be created that could eventually lead a person to identify the individual in question. Sometimes what people are searching for may tell us who they are and who they know. Some researchers, however, claim that the information serves a valuable purpose in helping to develop better technology to retrieve information.