AOL Records Faux Pas Could Be Flashpoint For Privacy Changes; Google Unswayed

The reverb continues from AOL’s misguided release — can’t call it inadvertant, as some have, because it wasn’t an accident — of keyword searches with clues that could lead to the actual users behind the anonymized numbers. The NYT‘s rapid discovery of at least one user’s identity provided vivid illustration of the risks when it comes to accumulating and disseminating search info particularly in recogonizable chunks.
Now, as Declan McCullogh spells out, U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass) is using the incident as the poster case for why his proposed law — the Eliminate Warehousing of Consumer Internet Data Act (EWOCID) — should be passed. The bill, which calls for the deletion of all personal information from web site databases and giving the FTC the ability to fine offenders, has been stuck in a Republican-controlled subcommittee since its February intro.
CNET: Meanwhile, when the subject came up during Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s appearance the Search Engine Strategies Conference, he said the company is “reasonably satified” that couldn’t happen at Google but added “never say never.” It sounds like he was a bit more emphatic with reporters after the session, “We have systems in place that won’t allow it to happen.”

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