The Face of One AOL Searcher Exposed

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The Face of One AOL Searcher Exposed

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Wednesday August 9, 2006 @12:26AM from the knew-it-wouldn't-take-long dept.

Juha-Matti Laurio writes "No. 4417749 conducted hundreds of searches over a three-month period on topics ranging from "numb fingers" to "60 single men" to "dog that urinates on everything., report NYT journalists Michael Barbaro and Tom Zeller Jr., but with a permission from Mrs. Thelma Arnold, 62. "Those are my searches," she said, after a reporter read part of the list to her, continues the article."

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What a ho by mgblst · 2006-08-09 00:28 · Score: 4, Funny

"60 single men"

At her age. I think she should be happy with a couple, but 60... gotta admire her!
Hmm by Iamthefallen · 2006-08-09 00:30 · Score: 5, Funny

User 48956332 Perl For Dummies
User 48956332 HTML 4, whats the big deal
User 48956332 Howto use sandboxen in development
User 48956332 What is CSS
User 48956332 Unit testing
User 48956332 Spelcheking
User 48956332 Why is Digg growing so fast?

--
Wax-Museum Fire Results In Hundreds Of New Danny DeVito Statues
1. Re:Hmm by LiquidCoooled · 2006-08-09 00:43 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  User 48956332 Preventing Dupes.
  User 48956332 Preventing Dupes.
  User 48956332 Preventing Dupes.
  User 48956332 Preventing Dupes.
  
  --
  liqbase :: faster than paper
2. Re:Hmm by JPDeckers · 2006-08-09 02:43 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Love browsing the data. As I noticed yesterday, a nice trace for user 14109288 (stripped a bit for readability):
  sexual positions 2006-05-22 21:57:18 http://www.sexualpositionsfree.com/ sexual positions 2006-05-22 21:57:18 http://www.askmen.com/ sexual positions 2006-05-22 21:57:18 http://www.condoms.au.com/ premature ejaculation 2006-05-22 22:20:23 http://www.webmd.com/
  
  Note the timestamps of the last two lines, sounds like he had, well, an evening that did not go as planned
3. Re:Hmm by Ant2 · 2006-08-09 04:27 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Inevitable...
  
  16432953 las vegas shemale escorts 2006-05-10 12:51:11 http://lasvegas.sexydepo.com/
  16432953 chicago shemale escorts 2006-05-10 13:16:33 http://www.eros-chicago.com/
  16432953 chicago shemale escorts 2006-05-10 13:16:33 http://www.eros-chicago.com/
  16432953 shemale escorts in tampa 2006-05-10 22:45:29 http://www.eros-tampa.com/
  16432953 how to clean computer hard drive 2006-05-09 13:11:50 http://www.microsoft.com/
Search string by KiloByte · 2006-08-09 00:32 · Score: 5, Funny

"dog that urinates on everything., report NYT journalists Michael Barbaro and Tom Zeller Jr., but with a permission from Mrs. Thelma Arnold, 62. "
Hmm... an interesting search query.
But at least it looks like my code isn't the only place invaded by quote-abducting aliens.

--
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
but with permission... by Catmeat · 2006-08-09 00:36 · Score: 4, Funny

... but with a permission from Mrs. Thelma Arnold, 62...
In other words, the journalists tracked down about 20 AOL searchers, but Mrs Arnold was the only one to give permission for the article as hers was the only search term list that didn't include 'midget porn'.
1. Re:but with permission... by Rakshasa+Taisab · 2006-08-09 01:00 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I just realized something... I've never searched for 'midget pron'. Consider that rectified.
  
  --
  - These characters were randomly selected.
Who uses AOL? by andrewman327 · 2006-08-09 00:37 · Score: 2, Funny

From TFA: "a 62-year-old widow who frequently researches her friends' medical ailments and loves her three dogs.

I don't know how the NYT reporters were able to track her down. After all, this describes most AOL users!

--
Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
Quick! by ttys00 · 2006-08-09 00:43 · Score: 3, Funny

Quick, make a bunch of bogus searches! That way you will have some plausible deniability when The Man knocks on your door with a list of your searches.

"Officer, those searches can't be mine, I'm not an 18 year old lesbian movie actress!"
1. Re:Quick! by nEoN+nOoDlE · 2006-08-09 03:09 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  =typing searches=
  pictures of dead people
  *no, that didn't work*
  killed people
  *hmm, no good, maybe try "dead pictures"*
  dead pictures
  *hmm, no results, lemme try again*
  dead pictures
  *0 searches, cmon! one more try*
  dead pictures
  *no, nothing... how about...*
  murder photo
  *ah fuck it, lemme go on Slashdot.*
  =reads ttys00's comment=
  Quick, make a bunch of bogus searches! That way you will have some plausible deniability when The Man knocks on your door with a list of your searches.
  *oh shit... he's right. Lemme go make some fake searches... um... hmm. Oh, I got it!*
  steak and cheese
  *hmm. What else?... damn, can't think of anything*
  photo of death ...
  
  --
  Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
She should stay at AOL by gorbachev · 2006-08-09 00:43 · Score: 3, Funny

At the end of the article, she says she's cancelling her AOL account as a result.

She shouldn't. There's absolutely no way AOL will ever do anything like that again. On the other hand, if she switches to another online provider, who still hasn't been burned, it's a quite a bit more likely they'll screw up like this as well. She'd be "safer" staying at AOL.

--
In Soviet Russia, I ruled you
1. Re:She should stay at AOL by shudde · 2006-08-09 00:51 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  At the end of the article, she says she's cancelling her AOL account as a result.
  
  Correction, she's going to try to cancel her AOL account.
Do the search again? by ZaSz-RH · 2006-08-09 00:44 · Score: 2, Funny

Now if she repeats the searches, she'll find links to his own face.
Oblig. Prisoner by ettlz · 2006-08-09 00:46 · Score: 5, Funny

Where am I?
You're on AOL.
What do you want?
Search information.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling. We want information. Information. Information.
You won't get it.
By hook or by crook, we will.
Who are you?
The new ad-funded AOL Number 2.
Who is Number 1?
You are Number 4417749.
I am not a number -- I am a free gran!
1. Re:Oblig. Prisoner by cswiger2005 · 2006-08-09 01:57 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Kudos. Please mod Slashdot prisoner #639203 up.
  
  --
  "The human race's favorite method for being in control of the facts is to ignore them." -Celia Green
Re:1 down, 24.9999 million to go... by kafka47 · 2006-08-09 00:53 · Score: 1, Funny

Did I suggest arresting him? How about just public humiliation?
won't hurt yahoo by pimpimpim · 2006-08-09 01:00 · Score: 2, Funny

Some clearvoiant (how do you spell that actually?) already saw in advance that this won't hurt yahoo:
21528558 http com yahoo com wont hurt wont yahoo 2006-04-21 15:31:20
I'm amazed by the masses of stupid search strings that are given, why are so many search strings complete (or non working) http adresses? (e.g. www.yahoo.com) Seems like a lousy database to me anyway.

--
molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
AOL's apology vs. Dilbert's boss by khendron · 2006-08-09 01:02 · Score: 5, Funny

From AOL's public apology

"This was a screw up, and we're angry and upset about it. It was an innocent enough attempt to reach out to the academic community with new research tools, but it was obviously not appropriately vetted..."

This is sounding very much like Dilbert's boss's public apology made years ago:

"It was wrong for us to sell keyboards with no 'Q' We're sorry. We're morons. We're dumber than squirrels. We hear voices and do what they command. I have broccoli in my socks. "

--
Life is like a web application. Sometime you need cookies just to get by.
user 4417749's Search Records by aquatone282 · 2006-08-09 01:03 · Score: 5, Funny

4417749 numb fingers
4417749 60 single men
4417749 dog that urinates on everything
4417749 landscapers in Lilburn, Ga
4417749 bill arnold
4417749 carpet shampoo rental
4417749 julie arnold
4417749 stan arnold
4417749 homes sold in shadow lake subdivision gwinnett county georgia
4417749 gwinnet county animal services
4417749 stan arnold
4417749 pecan pie recipes
4417749 McGyver DVDs
4417749 pet euthanasia services

--
What?
1. Re:user 4417749's Search Records by pimpimpim · 2006-08-09 01:16 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Hmm when I grow 60 I should remember to buy some McGuyver DVDs as well. Might spice up life a little bit, y'know.
  
  --
  molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
Re:1 down, 24.9999 million to go... by Lord+of+Hyphens · 2006-08-09 01:41 · Score: 2, Funny

C'mon, the guy was using AOL and the world knows it now! Isn't that enough humiliation?

--
"I've spent my whole life figuring out crazy ways to do things. It'll work." -- Montgomery Scott, "Relics"
Re:Nothing we can do! by Anonymous Coward · 2006-08-09 02:02 · Score: 3, Funny

Or more like...

"C'mon, these are AOL users we are talking about...we never expected them to find out".
Re:Nothing we can do! by dourk · 2006-08-09 02:41 · Score: 3, Funny

remove it from all the pipes that its in

Tubes, my friend. Tubes.

--
Wake up.
Re:Nothing we can do! by andrewman327 · 2006-08-09 05:10 · Score: 2, Funny

The data is out there, what exactly could they do? Erase it from peoples hard drives, remove it from all the pipes that its in, drug everyone who has seen it?

Attention /.ers reading this article, please remove your sunglasses and look directly into the screen. You have been browsing /. all day and have not found any mention of AOL other than how wonderful it is. As a matter of fact you were just thinking about how nice it would be to switch. Thank you and have a nice day.

--
Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
Re:SQL injection target? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-08-09 06:34 · Score: 1, Funny

Looks like 17424004 is into some sick shit. I mean seriously, what kind of freak likes aeropostle?