shouting loudly

AOL Searcher No. 4417749: Thelma Arnold of Lilburn, GA

That didn’t take very long.

Over the weekend, AOL released 3 months of search records for thousands of people. Each individual person’s searches were tied to a specific number.

In this morning’s New York Times, we learn the identity of Searcher Number 4417749. Thelma Arnold’s searches left a breadcrumb trail back to her.

There are queries for “landscapers in Lilburn, Ga,” several people with the last name Arnold and “homes sold in shadow lake subdivision gwinnett county georgia.”

When a reporter came calling, she admitted to being the AOL customer in question. Of course, she’s also peeved–and I would be, too.

If Lois Lane can find Ms. Arnold in under a week using only publicly available data, then the thousands of potentially identifiable folks who searched for illegal content might consider permanently wiping their hard drives before J. Edgar Hoover starts digging. (They can blame the latest virus.)

AOL pulled the database down over the weekend, but if you’re still looking to rummage through other people’s online lives, it’s online at a fistful of mirrors. See this list of links.

Update: forgot to include this story from CNet on how to avoid being vicitimized by search companies’ search records. One recommendation: use a search engine, such as Ixquick.com, that doesn’t keep such records.