anyone hear about the AOl data leak? - GoFuckYourself.com

Phoenix · 08-22-2006, 02:32 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060821/...search_privacy

hmm very interesting...whos buyin..lol

NEW YORK - AOL's chief technology officer left the company and two other workers were fired in the aftermath of a privacy breach that involved the intentional release of more than 650,000 subscribers' Internet search terms.

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Although AOL had substituted numeric IDs for the subscribers' user names, the search queries themselves contained Social Security numbers, medical conditions and other data that could be traced to an individual. In fact, The New York Times was able to trace user 4417749 to Thelma Arnold, 62, of Lilburn, Ga.

Maureen Govern, the technology chief, will be replaced on an interim basis by John McKinley, who had held that position before becoming AOL's president for digital services. The change takes effect immediately, according to a memo AOL Chief Executive Jonathan Miller sent to employees on Monday.

"This incident took place because some employees did not exercise good judgment or review their proposal with our privacy team," Miller said in a second memo. "We are taking appropriate action with the employees who were responsible."

The data release is among a series of breaches involving sensitive information in recent months. Unlike those resulting from computer hacking or missing laptops, however, the AOL data had been intentionally released as part of a program to assist academic researchers.

AOL, a unit of Time Warner Inc., apologized two weeks ago for what it termed a mistake made by a company researcher who had failed to properly seek clearances before releasing three months' worth of search data. Though the information was meant for researchers, it was released to a public site and quickly circulated once a blogger discovered it.

The company fired the researcher who released the data and that employee's direct supervisor, who reported to Govern, said one person familiar with the company's decisions. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because release of personnel information was not authorized, would not say whether Govern's departure was voluntary. The person also would not identify the two employees who were fired.

Although the search terms released were not directly tied to real names, many individuals type their own names to find out what's being said about them. They may later search for online mentions of their credit card or Social Security numbers and perhaps for prescription drug prices, revealing their medical ailments. All the searches for each user name were linked to the same numeric ID in the released data.

AOL removed the information from its site once senior executives learned of it, but by then copies already were widely available. Some people even created search sites just for the AOL data.

At least two groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate. In its complaint, filed last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation accused AOL of breaking a promise to protect its subscribers' privacy.

Kevin Bankston, staff attorney with the EFF, said he hoped the breach would prompt Internet companies to be more forthcoming about what data they keep and for how long. Congress, he said, may need to intervene.

"Rearranging personnel is not going to get to the root of this problem, a problem which extends far beyond AOL and to the rest of the Internet industry," Bankston said. "As an industry, the search engines have been unacceptably tightlipped about what their practices are regarding search logs."

To prevent a recurrence, Miller said AOL will:

? Create a task force led by senior executives to review privacy and data-retention policies.

? Place additional limits on employee access to data, regardless of whether they are linked to individual accounts.

? Evaluate technologies designed to flag sensitive information. Under such a system, for instance, a 16-digit string might be assumed to be credit card number and kept out of research databases.

? Improve employee education and awareness on privacy.

The fallout occurs as AOL tries to lure more people to its search services and other free, ad-supported features to offset a revenue decline that's likely to accelerate as the company stops charging for AOL.com e-mail accounts and software.

AOL continues to rank fourth in search, behind Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, according to data released this week by Nielsen/NetRatings and comScore Media Metrix.

Holly · 08-22-2006, 02:42 PM

Are you joking?

sharp · 08-22-2006, 02:43 PM

yes.....

chupachups · 08-22-2006, 02:43 PM

469mb, download here >>>>><<<<<<

galleryseek · 08-22-2006, 02:45 PM

i d/led it :\

going to check it out now in fact.

austinth · 08-22-2006, 02:53 PM

i've got more than half the 10 files that are out there right now. just finishing downloading the rest and it's great stuff!!!

Nookster · 08-22-2006, 02:55 PM

welcome to last week.

austinth · 08-22-2006, 02:58 PM

maybe last week, but did you download the files yet?

Scott McD · 08-22-2006, 02:58 PM

AOL are gay...

Phoenix · 08-22-2006, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chupachups

469mb, download here >>>>><<<<<<

i thought it more like 439 mbs

aico · 08-22-2006, 03:00 PM

Between this and the Mel Gibson thread, it's a Breaking News day here at GFY.

Phoenix · 08-22-2006, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austinth

i've got more than half the 10 files that are out there right now. just finishing downloading the rest and it's great stuff!!!

hmmi thought it was jus tin one big chunk

austinth · 08-22-2006, 03:10 PM

it was but the site i found has it broken down into 10 files
they are big 43.5 mb zipped in tar

OG LennyT · 08-22-2006, 03:13 PM

last week's news... oh well, who uses AOL anyway?

Marshal · 08-22-2006, 03:14 PM

it's a way too old...

Phoenix · 08-22-2006, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvd316

last week's news... oh well, who uses AOL anyway?

paying customers

Phoenix · 08-22-2006, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austinth

it was but the site i found has it broken down into 10 files
they are big 43.5 mb zipped in tar

i got the whole list as one

this could be used in many many ways

austinth · 08-22-2006, 03:28 PM

nice! i've got 2 files to go!

austinth · 08-22-2006, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoenix

paying customers

yep, those aolers love to spend!

austinth · 08-22-2006, 03:43 PM

done! got all the files!

fris · 08-22-2006, 03:45 PM

www.aolstalker.com

FuqALot · 08-22-2006, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austinth

done! got all the files!

u are the funnie.

Phoenix · 08-22-2006, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fris

www.aolstalker.com

thats a cool link...they lke ringtones on that page..lol

brand0n · 08-22-2006, 05:32 PM

anyone need this file?

Phoenix · 08-22-2006, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brand0n

anyone need this file?

everyone in this thread can probably send alot of joins

well not me i need them..lol

czarina · 08-22-2006, 05:44 PM

AOL traffic is almost as good as SE
Believe it or not

austinth · 08-22-2006, 07:02 PM

get em here: http://www.gregsadetsky.com/aol-data/

08-22-2006, 02:32 PM	#1
Phoenix BACON BACON BACON Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Poems everybody, the laddie fancies himself a poet Posts: 35,457	anyone hear about the AOl data leak? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060821/...search_privacy hmm very interesting...whos buyin..lol NEW YORK - AOL's chief technology officer left the company and two other workers were fired in the aftermath of a privacy breach that involved the intentional release of more than 650,000 subscribers' Internet search terms. ADVERTISEMENT Although AOL had substituted numeric IDs for the subscribers' user names, the search queries themselves contained Social Security numbers, medical conditions and other data that could be traced to an individual. In fact, The New York Times was able to trace user 4417749 to Thelma Arnold, 62, of Lilburn, Ga. Maureen Govern, the technology chief, will be replaced on an interim basis by John McKinley, who had held that position before becoming AOL's president for digital services. The change takes effect immediately, according to a memo AOL Chief Executive Jonathan Miller sent to employees on Monday. "This incident took place because some employees did not exercise good judgment or review their proposal with our privacy team," Miller said in a second memo. "We are taking appropriate action with the employees who were responsible." The data release is among a series of breaches involving sensitive information in recent months. Unlike those resulting from computer hacking or missing laptops, however, the AOL data had been intentionally released as part of a program to assist academic researchers. AOL, a unit of Time Warner Inc., apologized two weeks ago for what it termed a mistake made by a company researcher who had failed to properly seek clearances before releasing three months' worth of search data. Though the information was meant for researchers, it was released to a public site and quickly circulated once a blogger discovered it. The company fired the researcher who released the data and that employee's direct supervisor, who reported to Govern, said one person familiar with the company's decisions. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because release of personnel information was not authorized, would not say whether Govern's departure was voluntary. The person also would not identify the two employees who were fired. Although the search terms released were not directly tied to real names, many individuals type their own names to find out what's being said about them. They may later search for online mentions of their credit card or Social Security numbers and perhaps for prescription drug prices, revealing their medical ailments. All the searches for each user name were linked to the same numeric ID in the released data. AOL removed the information from its site once senior executives learned of it, but by then copies already were widely available. Some people even created search sites just for the AOL data. At least two groups have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate. In its complaint, filed last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation accused AOL of breaking a promise to protect its subscribers' privacy. Kevin Bankston, staff attorney with the EFF, said he hoped the breach would prompt Internet companies to be more forthcoming about what data they keep and for how long. Congress, he said, may need to intervene. "Rearranging personnel is not going to get to the root of this problem, a problem which extends far beyond AOL and to the rest of the Internet industry," Bankston said. "As an industry, the search engines have been unacceptably tightlipped about what their practices are regarding search logs." To prevent a recurrence, Miller said AOL will: ? Create a task force led by senior executives to review privacy and data-retention policies. ? Place additional limits on employee access to data, regardless of whether they are linked to individual accounts. ? Evaluate technologies designed to flag sensitive information. Under such a system, for instance, a 16-digit string might be assumed to be credit card number and kept out of research databases. ? Improve employee education and awareness on privacy. The fallout occurs as AOL tries to lure more people to its search services and other free, ad-supported features to offset a revenue decline that's likely to accelerate as the company stops charging for AOL.com e-mail accounts and software. AOL continues to rank fourth in search, behind Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, according to data released this week by Nielsen/NetRatings and comScore Media Metrix. __________________ Skype Phoenixskype1 Telegram PhoenixBrad https://quantads.io

08-22-2006, 02:42 PM	#2
Holly Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Jesusland Posts: 10,017	Are you joking? __________________ War National Damn Champions Eagle

08-22-2006, 02:43 PM	#4
chupachups Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Sweden/Spain you sum bitch! Posts: 6,576	469mb, download here >>>>><<<<<< __________________

08-22-2006, 02:53 PM	#6
austinth Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fantasy Island Posts: 1,770	i've got more than half the 10 files that are out there right now. just finishing downloading the rest and it's great stuff!!! __________________ Get A $25 Circuit City GIFT Card - *FREE*!

08-22-2006, 02:55 PM	#7
Nookster Confirmed IT Professional Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 3,744	welcome to last week. __________________ The Best Affiliate Software, Ever.

08-22-2006, 02:43 PM	#3
sharp Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 7,006	yes.....

08-22-2006, 02:45 PM	#5
galleryseek Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 8,234	i d/led it :\ going to check it out now in fact.

08-22-2006, 02:58 PM	#8
austinth Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fantasy Island Posts: 1,770	maybe last week, but did you download the files yet? __________________ Get A $25 Circuit City GIFT Card - *FREE*!

08-22-2006, 02:58 PM	#9
Scott McD Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 67,795	AOL are gay... __________________ I Buy My High Quality Traffic Here, You Should Too!

08-22-2006, 03:00 PM	#11
aico Moo Moo Cow Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Washington State Posts: 14,748	Between this and the Mel Gibson thread, it's a Breaking News day here at GFY.

08-22-2006, 03:10 PM	#13
austinth Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fantasy Island Posts: 1,770	it was but the site i found has it broken down into 10 files they are big 43.5 mb zipped in tar __________________ Get A $25 Circuit City GIFT Card - *FREE*!

08-22-2006, 03:13 PM	#14
OG LennyT Wall Street Pimp Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 14,345	last week's news... oh well, who uses AOL anyway? __________________ Tradeking - my online broker \| 4.95 a trade \| make real $$

08-22-2006, 03:14 PM	#15
Marshal Biz Dev and SEO Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 15,148	it's a way too old... __________________ --- Busy ranking websites on Google...

08-22-2006, 03:28 PM	#18
austinth Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fantasy Island Posts: 1,770	nice! i've got 2 files to go! __________________ Get A $25 Circuit City GIFT Card - *FREE*!

08-22-2006, 03:43 PM	#20
austinth Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fantasy Island Posts: 1,770	done! got all the files! __________________ Get A $25 Circuit City GIFT Card - *FREE*!

08-22-2006, 03:45 PM	#21
fris Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 55,304	www.aolstalker.com __________________ Since 1999: 69 Adult Industry awards for Best Hosting Company and professional excellence. WP Stuff

08-22-2006, 05:32 PM	#24
brand0n been very busy Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: the queen city Posts: 26,983	anyone need this file? __________________ want to buy this spot for cheap? it is of course for sale. long term deals are always the best bet. brand0n/ at/ a o l dot commies.

08-22-2006, 05:44 PM	#26
czarina Webmaster Extraordinaire Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: A beautiful beach... Posts: 10,745	AOL traffic is almost as good as SE Believe it or not

08-22-2006, 07:02 PM	#27
austinth Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fantasy Island Posts: 1,770	get em here: http://www.gregsadetsky.com/aol-data/ __________________ Get A $25 Circuit City GIFT Card - *FREE*!