Although AOL had substituted numeric IDs for the subscribers’ user names, the search queries themselves contained
Social Security numbers, medical conditions and other data that could be traced to an individual. In fact, The New York Times was able to trace user 4417749 to Thelma Arnold, 62, of Lilburn, Ga. Yahoo! News
This is a nasty one. AOL “accidentally” released dozens of records of search data with social security numbers. Only some people saw this data — as I did not, I woke up too late to see it — but it was taken offline very fast from when it was released. Since that time, 3 AOL employees have left the company.
The data release is among a series of breaches involving sensitive information in recent months. Unlike those resulting from computer hacking or missing laptops, however, the AOL data had been intentionally released as part of a program to assist academic researchers.
This is just yet another reason why I will never trust AOL with my personal information.