美国在线

时间：2006年8月

受影响人数：65万

??? 2006年，美国在线（AOL）突然公布了一个文件，其中含有65万多名用户的搜索信息。虽然流出文件中的用户名与ID号是随机配对的，但是凭借流出信息的其它内容——如社保号码、地址等，还是可以追踪到这些用户。虽然后来美国在线删除了这个文件，但是信息已经外传。美国在线在一份声明中表示：“这是个大麻烦，我们对此深感愤怒和沮丧。用新的调查工具接触学术界本来是一次无害的尝试。但它显然没有经过适当的审查。如果经过了适当的审查，那么它也许马上就会被阻止。”

AOL

Date: August 2006

Affected: 650,000

??? In 2006, AOL accidentally released a file with the search data of over 650,000 of its members. While AOL user names were swapped out with random ID numbers, the wealth of leaked information -- social security numbers, addresses -- made figuring out the identities of those users possible. AOL pulled the file down, but the information had already spread. "This was a screw-up, and we're angry and upset about it," the company said it a statement. "It was an innocent enough attempt to reach out to the academic community with new research tools, but it was obviously not appropriately vetted, and if it had been, it would have been stopped in an instant."