AOL search log release
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet services |
| Founded | March 24, 1985 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | Abdur Chowdhury (AOL Research director, 2006) |
| Products | Web search engine, Internet services |
| Website | www |
In 2006, the Internet firm AOL publicly disclosed a substantial portion of its web search query logs. Despite AOL’s efforts to anonymize users, many queries contained personally identifiable information, enabling the identification of certain individuals. Although the file was withdrawn within a few days, it had already been extensively replicated and remains accessible online.
Overview
On August 4, 2006, AOL Research, under the direction of Abdur Chowdhury, published a compressed text file featuring twenty million search queries from more than 650,000 users collected over three months to support research initiatives. By August 7, AOL had removed the file; however, it had already circulated widely across the internet.
While user names were omitted, each query was connected to a unique numerical user ID, which could be used to identify individuals by correlating search patterns. The New York Times successfully identified one person by matching anonymized search data with public phone directory entries. This incident sparked considerable ethical debate regarding the use of such data in research.
AOL admitted the mistake and retracted the dataset; nonetheless, it had been redistributed and remains available through various mirror sites.
In January 2007, Business 2.0 Magazine on CNNMoney ranked this incident as number 57 in its "101 Dumbest Moments in Business" for that year.
Lawsuits
In September 2006, a class action suit was initiated against AOL in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleged violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and accused AOL of fraudulent and deceptive business conduct. Plaintiffs sought a minimum of $5,000 in damages per individual whose search information was compromised. The matter was resolved through settlement in 2013.
Notable users
Certain individuals were identified through their search query data, drawing significant media focus.
Thelma Arnold
The New York Times disclosed that user #4417749 was Thelma Arnold, a 62-year-old widow residing in Lilburn, Georgia, with her permission. This privacy lapse prompted the resignation of AOL’s Chief Technology Officer Maureen Govern on August 21, 2006. Reports also indicated that two employees were dismissed: the researcher responsible for releasing the data and his superior.
User 927
The AOL data leak led to extensive blog commentary analyzing exposed queries. User 927’s search history was notable for its unusual and troubling content, ranging from topics like butterfly orchids and the band Fall Out Boy to illegal subjects including child pornography and zoophilia. Ben Popken, editor of The Consumerist, highlighted this user’s logs, drawing widespread online attention.
Moreover, User 927 inspired a theatrical piece by Katharine Clark Gray in Philadelphia, which received recognition on several blogs that initially revealed this user’s identity.
User 711391
A series of short films on Minimovies titled I Love Alaska features voice recordings and visuals derived from User 711391’s searches. The creators describe this work as "an episodic documentary."
See also
External links
- AOL Stalker (archived) – Search terms and users; includes tagging features and a list of amusing users.
- AOL Search Database – Examination and discussion surrounding the released AOL search data.