AOL exposes search records.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis

In August, Internet service provider America Online (AOL) released 19 million search records of more than 650,000 of its U.S. customers without their knowledge.

AOL apologized and said the action, though unauthorized, was an attempt to benefit academic researchers. But it was little consolation for individuals whose detailed search queries were available to anyone online--and little surprise to privacy advocates.

It is no secret that search engines operated by AOL, Google, Yahoo, and other companies compile data on users such as terms searched for, when they were queried, and what computer and browser was used. According to The New York Times, such data is saved for online advertisers, so they can provide more targeted, and more profitable, marketing messages to particular Internet addresses over time. Search companies do not need users' permission to collect the data.

But, the Times reported, the practice puts users' privacy at risk, and even worse, privacy advocates and search industry experts fear that the large, detailed data troves collected by search engine companies could be accessed by thieves or the government.

In fact, the practice appeared in the news headlines earlier this year when the U.S. Justice Department subpoenaed several search engines for access to their search data to help it uphold a child online pornography law designed to shield children from sexually explicit material. Google fought the demand in court and won, but other search companies, including AOL, turned over large amounts of search data to the government.

AOL keeps a record of each user's search queries for one...