America Online isnt too bright.

[tomokun]

So im not sure how many of you know this, but AOL yesterday released a document of 650000 peoples searching habbits over 3 months. Thers 20 million searches. Each person was picked at random and was anonymous. Oh and i have also read both 500000 and 650000 but either way its a lot of people. Anyway theres info on it here. AOL since then has taken the info down and I would share where to get this info, however i am not sure if that is allowed.

For those of you that have downloaded the files, am i the only one who is actually really curious and reading all of these?

 

[Timepass]

well depending on how they did it, it is legal for them to log your searchs. Google easily logs it searchs and files them. what they are logging is what is put into the search engine and it all they are storing is what you search for (not who you are, or any way to link it back) it is fine. they are just logging the request on there servers

 

[dmw007]

Don't even get me started on AOL.....


We had their dial-up service and it sucked, but all is good now that we have a wireless network setup in our house- courtesy of Comcast Cable.

 

[ham_man]

well depending on how they did it, it is legal for them to log your searchs. Google easily logs it searchs and files them.

Why do people say that it is illegal for the governemnet to log phone records, but legal for companies to log internet searches...?

 

[SamIchi]

Why do people say that it is illegal for the governemnet to log phone records, but legal for companies to log internet searches...?

Because it's 2 differnet things?

 

[michaeldmartin]

Because it's 2 differnet things?

One word: Politicians.
Personally, I don't see how it's different if a 17 year old were to kill-- say a governor than a 30 year old to do it. Furthermore; why should doing the same thing to different things should have different punishments. Say the president being killed being punished more than A grocery bagger being killed. It's the same thing: recording what people are doing. Although i'm sure there's a reason... Although; i'm willing to bet there are terms and conditions to using their search engine which include using your search for statistics and surveys.

 

[CompUser]

AOL is a horrible company with even worse. They hide their uninstallers for all their crap software bundled with AOL so you can't get rid of it.

Anyone know how to get rid of AIM triton?

 

[tomokun]

But anyway has anyone else read the list? Ive been reading it, and I gotta say that 130832 is my favorite person, ever.

Also it isnt that nice to start tracking peoples searching habbits without their permission and without them knowing.

 

[Counterfit]

Why do people say that it is illegal for the governemnet to log phone records, but legal for companies to log internet searches...?

Logging phone records (which phone companies do all the time to track usage for billing) and phone tapping (listening in on conversations, legal with a warrant) are very different things.

 

[ReanimationLP]

Damn, and here I thought the most searched for stuff was gonna be pornography.

 

[d wade]

i wonder how much of it is porn sites.. haha

 

[Timepass]

Logging phone records (which phone companies do all the time to track usage for billing) and phone tapping (listening in on conversations, legal with a warrant) are very different things.

also like to add phone companies also log when you make you phone call for statisical reasons (just those stats are not link up to who you are or who are you are calling, more the area code and maybe what country). They do this so they know when the most calls are being made and when to charge the most.

Why do you think nights and weekends came around on cell phones. They learned that very few calls where being made during that time and they had a ton of unused ablilty that they where paying for and not getting any used (for the most part each tower cost the same to maintain and run weather or not it being used to commucate a phone call). So they turn it in to advistiement to get more sells and not everyone is doing it and soon I expect to see 7pm-7am nigths and weekends become the standard.

Compainys are always doing statisic on you. credit card compainy log how much you charge balance and stuff. Then remove all personal data and put in to a statisitcal data base. almost all companies do that. So they can learn how to better serive there customers and make more money

 

[Unspeaked]

OP, you do know this was all anonymous, right?

They randomly assigned numbers to user's and associated a second column with search terms to the database.

No one's tracking anything, anymore than DoubleClick and Google and the New York Times leave cookies on my machine.

 

[thedude110]

Why do people say that it is illegal for the governemnet to log phone records, but legal for companies to log internet searches...?

Because companies can't search/seize your property.

And because, for the most part, companies don't have tanks.

And because corporations are probably not as likely to throw you in jail for disagreeing with them. Or for talking about the wrong books.

These are the worries (or the slippery slope) re: government logging of phone records (and we shouldn't pretend that logging doesn't lead to listening in).

 

[nbs2]

Anyone know how to get rid of AIM triton?

On my old work computer, I tried to uninstall pieces (all I needed was AIM), but to break its back, you have to get rid of AIM. It's the master log. When you pull that one, the whole dam gives way...

 

[adk]

Why do people say that it is illegal for the governemnet to log phone records, but legal for companies to log internet searches...?

Because when the government logs phone records, they record that Mr. X in Sacramento called Mr. Z in Damascus. When AOL and Google record searches, they record that "Monkeys Doing it" was searched for on their server, but not by whom.

 

[tomokun]

OP, you do know this was all anonymous, right?

No i just stated that in the original post .

Either way i dont approve of it, but it sure is crack reading the entire list.

 

[Mammoth]

When AOL and Google record searches, they record that "Monkeys Doing it" was searched for on their server, but not by whom.

Weirdest example ever.... .