Risk: Informational
AOL recently posted a file containing three months of anonymous search queries of 658,000 American users and then pulled the data down shortly afterwards, following a public outcry. Although users' names were not associated with the search terms, fears were raised that the queries may contain personally identifiable data.
The searches, conducted between March and May this year, accounted for 1/3 of one percent of the total searches conducted during that period, AOL said in a statement. Several blogs picked up on the incident, estimating that hundreds and perhaps thousands of people downloaded the data.
Andrew Weinstein, AOL's spokesman, said: "Although there was no personally-identifiable data linked to these accounts, we're absolutely not defending this. It was a mistake, and we apologize. We've launched an internal investigation into what happened, and we are taking steps to ensure that this type of thing never happens again."
AOL's Chief Technology Officer, Maureen Govern, has since resigned.