AOL CTO resigns over release of search queries

[giza]

AOL's CTO has resigned, following the company's release of search data for over half a million users.

So, I figured it would be appropriate to post her recent search history here:

2356894 new job
2356894 new job soon
2356894 macdonalds
2356894 mcdonalds
2356894 mcjob
2356894 postal service
2356894 going postal
2356894 guns

(Source: Slashdot)

Comments

[zorinlynx.livejournal.com]

Nah, more like:

377483: How to invest my millions well
377483: So you're a millionaire out of work
377483: Cherry flavored condoms
377483: Decent art for under $100,000
377483: Replacement fender for ferrari f40
377483: Domino's pizza locations zip code xxxxx

CTO of AOL? Come on, she doesn't need to work to live anymore. :)

[antimon.livejournal.com]

the search statitics were still anonomous though right?
i eman colelctign what peopel search for is nothing new thats how the statistics abotu msot searched words come up

[giza.livejournal.com]

Unless you say, search for your own name or your Social Security Number.

[antimon.livejournal.com]

who woudl do that :) and havign a social security number is useless as si a name, you need like both together :)

[giza.livejournal.com]

If you have access to credit data *coughChoicePointcough*, it's not exceptionally hard to look up a name from an SSN.

[omnibahumut.livejournal.com]

I can see searching your own name, thats kinda fun sometimes... but your SSN? >.>

[giza.livejournal.com]

You'd be surprised. People have been known to search credit card numbers too.

[omnibahumut.livejournal.com]

That person (almost) deserves to have thier identity stolen

by the way, the original post was funny :P

[omnibahumut.livejournal.com]

---

"i eman colelctign what peopel search for is nothing new thats how the statistics abotu msot searched words come up"

---

I hope you were drunk when you typed that >.>

[antimon.livejournal.com]

I'm at work so i hope i'm not drunk

[furahi.livejournal.com]

There's nothing wrong with collecting statistics (well, it's debatable and one of the things Google is hated for most among its haters).
The problem was they were revealed

A lot of people search for their names, it's very common. If you use a search engine to find maps, you'll also see people do searches of "map from (my address) to (my work)" or things like that; it's dangerous.
And before you say people go directly to mapquest/etc to look for directions... nope, not everybody does, there're some people that still don't get very well how the internet works; so they'll type search queries in their address bar and directions in the search bar.

For instance the uncle of a friend of mine I stayed with once in California; she was helping me to look for bus tickets to San Jose, and instead of typing www.greyhound.com in her address bar, she went to her favorites, opened google and typed it there. She did the same for all the pages she visited (it would've been rather exasperating if she hadn't been helping me =P)

[kovucougar.livejournal.com]

That isn't so much a case of "not knowing how it works". In fact, it'd be downright user friendly of it if you *could* do that!

[furahi.livejournal.com]

but it can do that...
well, which of the things I mentioned are you talking about? =P Directions?

[rigelkitty.livejournal.com]

I doubt that resignation was a choice. That hit pretty close to home - I'd recently been at a luncheon with her to celebrate the launch of AIMPages. She was a direct report about four levels above me. I've never seen an exec take that kind of a hit from a fiasco in all my years.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Oucccch! That sucks.

One thing I will note is that the resignation does have a "the buck stops here" sound to it, and I think that will help the company's image in the long run.

[wildw0lf.livejournal.com]

What I can't really imagine is why AOL or any other company for that matter, would think that posting search result data on a public website would ever be a good idea.

[netcrimes.livejournal.com]

Bwahahahahaha