Ginger_Chris Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 It seems AOL have just released the search results of about 500,000 of their users, containing around 2 million search results. This comes after the huge amount of contervacy after the whole google/microsoft thing and the government. The users usernames have been replaced by random user ID's but many of the searches inclued personal data. Someone at AOL realised what a public relations disaster this could be, and have taken the database down. However several sites (im not going to name) have still got it up. Most worryingly is one user that has the following searches: 17556639 how to kill your wife 17556639 how to kill your wife 17556639 wife killer 17556639 how to kill a wife 17556639 poop 17556639 dead people 17556639 pictures of dead people 17556639 killed people 17556639 dead pictures 17556639 dead pictures 17556639 dead pictures 17556639 murder photo 17556639 steak and cheese 17556639 photo of death 17556639 photo of death 17556639 death 17556639 dead people photos 17556639 photo of dead people 17556639 http://www.murderdpeople.com 17556639 decapatated photos 17556639 decapatated photos 17556639 car crashes3 17556639 car crashes3 17556639 car crash photo What do you think this guy was up to? This raises alot of questions, not only about user search privacy but wether the goverment and police can pe-emptivly look at search results. Should user search data be made public? Anyway, what do you guys think? Personally I was shocked that AOL employees could not realise how badly this is going to turn out for them. I also feel sorry for user 17556639's wife.
Supergrunch Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 Who actually uses the internet to decide how to kill someone?
AshMat Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 AOL keep this info? they are bitches, but then again, don't all the search engines log IPs and what they searched for?
Charlie Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 AOL keep this info? they are bitches, but then again, don't all the search engines log IPs and what they searched for? All search engines keep the stuff you search for. Chris, Digg.com is a great website, isn't it? I get all my news from there.
Ginger_Chris Posted August 7, 2006 Author Posted August 7, 2006 lol slashdot actually. I have no-one intelectual to discuse how bad this actually is with. Should AOL even be able to link users to individual seraches? I mean theres got to be a massive invasion of privacy right there. Do the other search engines link users with searchs?
Supergrunch Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 I think other search engines do do it- it's automatically recorded. However, I think they should delete logs as it's a little too big brother for my liking. Also, are they able to identify users from their numbers?
Supergrunch Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 They record the IP address. But with AOL (and lots of other providers) the IP is random.
AshMat Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 Exactly, but here AOL is worse, because they've recorded what each user searches.
Jon Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 They record the IP address. Its a little more advanced than that, as many people like myself have dynamic IP's. As for whether they should be allowed, probably not but its no doubt buried somewhere in the Terms and Conditions.
Supergrunch Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 Its a little more advanced than that, as many people like myself have dynamic IP's. As for whether they should be allowed, probably not but its no doubt buried somewhere in the Terms and Conditions. No, he's saying that other search engines other record IP's, whether they're static or not, whereas AOL keeps a log for each user.
Ginger_Chris Posted August 7, 2006 Author Posted August 7, 2006 Some of the people searched personal data, social security numbers, addresses etc so they would be easy to identify. Whether or not AOL kept a list of which username and which ID number correspond is unknown. Won't AOL have broken their own terms and conditions by releasing this?
Charlie Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 But with AOL (and lots of other providers) the IP is random. They can still link it to your computer from the time that the IP was assigned to you I think.
The3rdChildren Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 They can monitor a lot more than you think they can on the Internet.
Jon Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 No, he's saying that other search engines other record IP's, whether they're static or not, whereas AOL keeps a log for each user. Thats not what i meant, being IP tracked is useless if it changes everytime you access the net.
weeyellowbloke Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 Ah crap, I better start covering my tracks better. Seriously though, I find it quite shocking that such a large company keeps such detailed records on their users, let alone makes them public. It's a bit like BT releasing records all their customers phone conversations. Perhaps tighter government regulation on peoples privacy would be an answer, but of course this will never happen because it would mean the government wouldn't be able to check up on us themselves.
DanielTimothy Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 How to kill you wife?! Must be someone looking for a laugh. Hopefully.
Athriller Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 i bet he did it so that when AOL released their search results list people would post about him on forums and he would laugh and become famous and end world suffering hope this helps
MunKy Posted August 8, 2006 Posted August 8, 2006 This is bad news for Steak n' Cheese and the other Sick Site Network sites. I hope they dont get alot of shit for this, they get enough to deal with. Editorials are funny as fuck too, as for the videos, meh, seen it all before.
Konfucius Posted August 8, 2006 Posted August 8, 2006 Whether or not this user meant it as a joke I think such things shouldn't be used a pre-determinatial (is that even a word?) evidence. What I learned from Minority Report is that you shouldn't arrest someone for a crime he hasn't done yet. I think recording such stats is ok, however, as long as they remain secure - the company shouldn't be allowed to use or view them either - and can only be accessed with certain permission - something like a search warrant but instead of being for the house, for the Internet usage.
Blue_Ninja0 Posted August 8, 2006 Posted August 8, 2006 They can monitor a lot more than you think they can on the Internet. You said the truth, they sure can. The searches of that guy are disturbing. He's not satisfied of just watching dead people pictures, he wants to see one up close and personal (his wife).
Sanchez Posted August 8, 2006 Posted August 8, 2006 2281868 are niggers satan or demons or gremlins 2006-03-01 03:43:55 4 http://www.inthesetimes.com 2281868 do niggers have x-ray vision 2006-03-02 15:47:52 7 http://andymatic.com
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