What AOL users like to browser for?

I keep a strong interest in what my former employers are up to, whether on the European front or the American front but this news over the weekend has hit me a little for six.

Why, why, why would you release data to the public domain about your customer’s search patterns? Why would you scramble their screennames with ID numbers and why would you then try to cover your ass by removing the incriminating data a few hours later?

Seen as they actually pulled down the information, you can now download it all here (just shy of the 450mb mark).

WordPress.com hosted blog, Plenty Of Fish, has some great details on this too including an explanation from AOL’s Andrew Weinstein on what actually happened. Staggering in fairness!

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