arstechnica.com — Companies continue to store and sometimes release vast databases of "anonymized" information about users. But, as Netflix, AOL, and the State of Massachusetts have learned, "anonymized" data can often be cracked in surprising ways, revealing the hidden secrets each of us are assembling in online "databases of ruin"
Sep 8, 2009 View in Crawl 4
blackwing602Sep 8, 2009
The flip side is when there is evidence of EVERYBODY searching for porn, for example, then it just destigmatizes and mainstreams the activity.
nemosoSep 8, 2009
Say, hypothetically, I downloaded a Nickelback CD... Someone might know?
sjbdallasSep 8, 2009
I like redheads too. Their naughty bits are extra pink -- not brown or beige.
rmxzSep 8, 2009
Personally I like services like <a class="user" href="http://searchfuscate.com" rel="nofollow">http://searchfuscate.com</a> to help make my internet browsing more anonymous.The idea is that you can't hide from these databases; but by having the computer continually do stuff in the background, you can drown out your signal in the noise of automated searches and browsing.
genmaSep 9, 2009
this should be common knowledge by now, most web companies really don't give a s**t about your anonymity, they just want to track your data. it's a huge business, and ftfa your data isn't useful unless they can organise it by person. I mean there are some who make an honest effort, and are smart enough to make use of it that way. but most of the time, they just want you to feel safe so you can be a happy user.in aol's case, it's obvious they knew damn well that cross-referencing would be easy, and really did nothing against it.
oaklandnativeSep 9, 2009
You should probably read the article before commenting on it.
psyber1anSep 9, 2009
Hey! I just got a library card in another county, so they have ZIP, birthdate and sex...<shudder>