Ha ha ha. AOL released two gigs of searches from the last three months with all sorts of personally identifiable information included in it. You can find out what people were searching for and learn all kinds of horrible things about them. In a discussion thread about this on one website that I visit (far too often), someone made the following insightful comment:
My initial reaction was holy [cow]. I’m now rethinking this incident. I’m not an AOL member, but I looked at their privacy policy on www.aol.com. I don’t see an area which was violated.
For that person, and anyone else who feels the same way, I hereby offer my very own...
TomDalton.com Privacy Policy!
By using this site, you agree to grant me, Tom Dalton, unconditional permission to break into your house at night, rob you blind, and install Windows 98 on your home computer. Further, you warrant that I may use your credit card for anything I want to buy and that I may take your car and back it out of your garage without first opening the garage door (something which, you must agree, everyone has wanted to do at some point during their lives).
I will not, however, release your personal information, unless someone offers to pay me a lot of money, or I happen to feel like it.