The Google Operating System blog reports that when uploading pictures for your contacts, Gmail will ask you to crop the picture, to separate the face of the person. The result? Google has a database of multiple images for a lot…
Category: Issues
Preventing Another Search Data Debacle
From the EFF: AOL's data leak is a disaster, but there may be some silver lining. By putting the spotlight on the dangers of Internet companies storing massive amounts of private information, the data leak could spur better business practices…
Because it hurts people
Why was the AOL data dump wrong? "Because it hurts people. It makes them feel defensive about their own thoughts and ideas," says Mary Hodder. She's right.
More (disturbing) AOL profiles
Declan McCullagh at CNet has posted many more, often disturbing, profiles of users gleaned from the AOL search data leak. Examples include: Based on the number of local searches, AOL user 1515830 appears to be a resident of [personal information…
Registration Open: Identity and Identification in a Networked World
Registration is now open for the "Identity and Identification in a Networked World" multidisciplinary graduate student symposium, September 29-30, 2006 at the NYU School of Law. Twenty graduate students from across North America and Europe will share their exciting research…
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AOL Search Log Profiles Unmasked
It is not that hard to identity actual users from the "anonymous" search data released by AOL. The New York Times quickly found user No. 4417749: No. 4417749 conducted hundreds of searches over a three-month period on topics ranging from…
Will AOL Flap Help Privacy Awareness?
Might AOL's release of the logs of nearly 20 million web searches documenting three months of activity by 650,000 AOL users serve to raise awareness of the privacy concerns with web search surveillance (that I've been writing about forever)? Seth…
AOL’s Apology Misses the Mark
AOL has issued an apology for releasing the logs of nearly 20 million web searches documenting three months of activity by 650,000 AOL users: "This was a screw-up, and we're angry and upset about it. It was an innocent enough…
AOL Data Includes Social Security Numbers
Have you ever searched for your social security number to see if it happened to be posted online somewhere? Have you searched for it along with your name? Many do, and it has apparently been confirmed that the massive database…
AOL Proudly Releases Massive Amounts of Private Data
[I've pasted this in its entirety from TechCrunch - unbelievable] AOL must have missed the uproar over the DOJ’s demand for “anonymized” search data last year that caused all sorts of pain for Microsoft and Google. That’s the only way…
Read More AOL Proudly Releases Massive Amounts of Private Data
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