DailyTech - Electronic Frontier Foundation Goes After AOL

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IT Electronic Frontier Foundation Goes After AOL
Tuan Nguyen (Blog) - August 11, 2006 12:53 PM

23 comment(s) - last by TomZ.. on Aug 14 at 10:55 AM

Users take action against AOL search query disclosure

The Electronic Frontier Foundation this week announced an action plan for those exposed by AOL's recent disclosure of user search histories. The EFF is responsible for defending many people and companies against circumstances such as this one or in other cases against lawsuits.

DailyTech reported earlier this week that AOL had released search queries for roughly 650,000 of its users. AOL made the search queries freely available but the worst part was that the company did not request permission from any of the users before disclosing the queries. AOL so far has not responded to the press about the situation.

The EFF is asking users who were affected by AOL's release to sign up on a petition after you have tried calling AOL. The EFF recommends people do the following:

1. First, ask to be informed if you were one of the AOL members affected by the leak.
2. Second, say that you'd like AOL to stop keeping these kinds of logs.
3. Third, say that AOL should work with Congress to make stronger laws to protect the privacy in data collected by Internet companies.
4. Fourth, ask to be contacted when AOL decides to take action on these problems.

Users can then log their call with AOL by filling in a form on the EFF's AOL response website. The EFF has not stated so far what it plans to do with AOL. In recent EFF news, the organization defended three news websites that focused on Apple related products and news. Apple took the websites to court over leaked product information but consequently lost the case.

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WTF?

By 05SilverGT on 8/11/2006 2:17:36 PM , Rating: 2

From everything I read the accounts of the individuals were not reviled but instead given a number ID. I assume that ID key resides with AOL and not given out. I really don’t know what the big deal is here. Sounds like another reason for people to whine about AOL. Lol

RE: WTF?

By fierydemise on 8/11/2006 2:26:57 PM , Rating: 2

You can figure out who the users are in many cases by looking at the searches, alot of people google their names, names of their family, places near them, etc. It takes a little common sense but its not hard to do.

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RE: WTF?

By shadowzz on 8/11/2006 2:28:37 PM , Rating: 2

More importantly though, how does releasing that data benefit *anyone*. There was just absolutely no point to doing it.

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RE: WTF?

By TomZ on 8/11/2006 5:16:52 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
More importantly though, how does releasing that data benefit *anyone*. There was just absolutely no point to doing it.

If criminals downloaded it and can make some constructive use out of it, then it does benefit them, at the expense of the AOL customer that assumed such information would be confidential.

Another example, if a reporter gleans some embarrasing information about a politician, celebrity, etc. from it and publishes that information, then they also benefitted, at the expense of the AOL customer.

Hypothetical examples, but not unrealistic possibilities.

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RE: WTF?

By shadowzz on 8/13/2006 11:44:33 PM , Rating: 2

I can totally understand how to exploit it. I can't understand why AOL released it.

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RE: WTF?

By TomZ on 8/14/2006 10:55:10 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
I can totally understand how to exploit it. I can't understand why AOL released it.

I agree - it was either a mistake or just stupid.

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RE: WTF?

By EarthsDM on 8/11/2006 2:33:14 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
reviled

Did you mean revealed? *sigh* The definite identities were not revealed, TRUE. However, in many cases it was possible to find personal identification nested in the searches. According to the Inq., for example, people would search for driving directions to incest survivor groups. Not information you would like to have public. And before you get angry at me for showing the word that your spelling is incorrect, think about how angry the people whose searches were revealed feel.

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RE: WTF?

By 05SilverGT on 8/11/2006 3:06:51 PM , Rating: 2

I don't mind you pointing it out. That's the problem with typing quickly and posting at work. I didn't think about looking into the searches. I didn't realize the data included all that. Just more like 123434 looks at midget porn, sports, and car sites.

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RE: WTF?

By PT2006 on 8/11/2006 3:08:12 PM , Rating: 2

Nice won. Good to see the spelling nazi's are in full force today. For a minute I thought the terrorists had one.

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RE: WTF?

By h0kiez on 8/11/2006 3:44:59 PM , Rating: 2

What I want to know is where the punctiation nazis are...no one has pointed out that you don't understand how to use an apostrophe.

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RE: WTF?

By TomZ on 8/11/2006 4:12:38 PM , Rating: 2

You guys should just give up. Anyone who can't post a comment without making spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes shouldn't be criticizing others for the same. Anyway, it just adds unnecessary noise to this discussion forum.

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RE: WTF?

By PT2006 on 8/11/2006 4:49:07 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Nice won . Good to see the spelling nazi's are in full force today. For a minute I thought the terrorists had one .

I'll emphasize next time I want to be sarcastic.

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RE: WTF?

By Wwhat on 8/13/2006 10:49:05 PM , Rating: 2

"I assume that ID key resides with AOL and not given out."
Oh you assume that eh...
It is that kind of trust even in the face of evidence to the contrary that makes the world such a mess really.

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The database makes for some funny reading

By Zirconium on 8/11/2006 9:41:18 PM , Rating: 2

I downloaded the database, and it is fun to:
zgrep porn <one of the database files>
Then, select one of the users and do
zgrep <user_id> <database file>
You get some creative searches for porn. One person kept doing searches for stockings and porn. I never even realized that it was a fetish.

RE: The database makes for some funny reading

By mindless1 on 8/12/2006 8:35:56 AM , Rating: 2

Some of the database results (not just for porn but in general) look wrong, there are quite specific and repeating search terms for different user IDs.

It happens enough that it is suspicious, almost as if the entire database is artificially generated if not prone to some gross error in user ID assignment.

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RE: The database makes for some funny reading

By deathView on 8/13/2006 1:35:31 PM , Rating: 2

The search terms repeat because many AOL users have mulitple screen names. These users seem to use the same search terms over and over again under different screen names. 650, 000 costumers were exposed but each one of those have several screenames and that is how the database is organized. So there are many more users then 650,000. Also the address bar in the AOL browser will automatically do a search if the URL is not found. That is why there are so many www.stupidplace.com urls in the database.

P.S. I am a AOL (i know laugh it up, my sister refuses to switch because her friends use it and my father listeners to her more.)user and I can't choose which I hate more AOL posting this stuff or that their are people who do searchs for www.google.com and www.yahoo.com. I also hate the fact that I am the only one who didn't know that AOL lets you do searchs for p0rn. I was fooled into thinking AOL was a family ISP. I could've been looking at 38 double D breasts. I hate even more that some non-geek out there will think that I drink JAVA, I'm on a drug called C++, show too much interest in the musical note C#, a Python is my favorite animal, and I like searching for the weird word PHP.

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RE: The database makes for some funny reading

By cciesquare on 8/14/2006 3:42:34 AM , Rating: 2

"I hate even more that some non-geek out there will think that I drink JAVA, I'm on a drug called C++, show too much interest in the musical note C#, a Python is my favorite animal, and I like searching for the weird word PHP."

Hahahahahah
hahahahahaha

Yea too bad they dont have the usernames or even names of the people doing the search. That would have gotten AOL, I am pretty sure, sued out of business.

Imagine friends, families, neighbors and coworkers, discovering weird things about each other. Would have been a good TV show lol.

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um...

By kattanna on 8/11/2006 1:37:00 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
The EFF is asking users who were affected by AOL's release to sign up on a petition after you have tried calling AOL

so what i want to know is are all the people who were searching for porn and viagra going to come forward?

RE: um...

By derdon on 8/11/2006 1:39:52 PM , Rating: 2

show me the one who doesn't

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Grammar

By Creig on 8/11/2006 3:09:14 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
an action plan for those where were exposed

I'm guessing this should read "an action plan for those who were exposed".

MIssed a treat

By lemonadesoda on 8/11/2006 5:27:00 PM , Rating: 2

What a shame the database wasn't split between:

1./ Home / Private users, and
2./ Corporate users

That would have been truely interesting (and useful for website SEO)

AOL users deserve it

By joex444 on 8/11/2006 7:30:12 PM , Rating: 2

If you didn't realize $25/mo for 56k was rapage, now you know AOL really is out to rape you.

Not them!

By mindless1 on 8/11/2006 7:39:46 PM , Rating: 2

Considering the EFF's poor track record, this could be exactly what benefits AOL the most. EFF puts up a poor argument, case goes to AOL and sets precedence.