AOL, your favorite company to hate and mine because they single-handedly destroyed the internet while saving the internet, leaked their users’ search history. They plugged the leak but not before the database was replicated. The CNET article contains some disturbing search requests, but it gets worse.

At the moment, you can search the replicated database yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if who ever is operating this site is (ironically) logging database search requests, so be careful what you search for.

Also, I would be willing to bet all search engines save histories and link your searches with a unique user ID. It attracts news stories only when the data are leaked.

Updated February 10, 2011 and originally published August 9, 2006. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.

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About the author

Luke Landes, also known as Flexo, is the founder of Consumerism Commentary. He has been blogging and writing for the internet since 1995 and has been building online communities since 1991. Find out more about him and follow Luke Landes on Twitter. View all articles by Luke Landes.

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