AOL: We're sorry
AOL just issued a press release apologizing for its release of customers' query data:
"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..."
Comments
C|net on AOL's gaffe: http://news.com.com/AOL+offers+glimpse+into+users+lives/2100-1030_3-6103098.html
Posted by: Louis Rosenfeld | August 8, 2006 02:19 PM
...and today's New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/technology/09aol.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5094&en=9b5fd9ff341e3216&hp&ex=1155182400&partner=homepage
Posted by: Louis Rosenfeld | August 9, 2006 09:40 AM
Here's an article I wrote for Information Today about this affair. The mainstream media got a few points wrong, so sticklers might want to check it out. http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb060814-1.shtml.
Here is a searchable database of the AOL searches:
http://www.aolsearchdatabase.com
I'm now trying to find if any libraries have privacy policies that specify retention periods for search logs. I've found lots of privacy policies at libraries but they concentrate on circulation records and access logs. What about the search logs kept by databases they license such as Medline and Lexis-Nexis?
Posted by: Rich Wiggins | August 17, 2006 04:13 PM