3 AOL Workers Depart Over Privacy Breach

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060821/D8JL1QL80.html

3 AOL Workers Depart Over Privacy Breach
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Aug 21, 4:53 PM (ET)

By ANICK JESDANUN

NEW YORK (AP) - Two AOL employees were fired and its chief technology officer has left the company in the aftermath of a privacy breach that involved the intentional release of more than 650,000 subscribers' Internet search terms.

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.

Maureen Govern, the technology chief, will be replaced on an interim basis by John McKinley, who had held that position before becoming AOL's president for digital services. The change takes effect immediately, according to a memo AOL Chief Executive Jonathan Miller sent to employees on Monday.

"This incident took place because some employees did not exercise good judgment or review their proposal with our privacy team," Miller said in a second memo. "We are taking appropriate action with the employees who were responsible."

[951-Riverside]

1. I wouldn't call it a "Breach"

They packaged, hosted and openly distributed that information on their own website.

[The Sushi Bandit]

2. They should hang then buy their Testi*les!

Then tar and feather them