AOL accidentally released the search histories of 650,000 of its customers on the Internet, not only breaching their customers privacy but also raising questions about how collected search data should be used. While many engines collect data on what people search for, they keep them very tightly under wraps. In fact, Google was told to release them by the Department of Justice via a court order, and when they refused the courts agreed with them. AOL needed no such prodding. The 20 million search queries, listed with an anonymous number correlating to which user made the search, if and what result they clicked on, and what rank that result was on the page, were made available yesterday and then taken down later that night. Once it was out, however, it was out, and the files are still available for download across the web. Unsettling private data is available in these search histories, as oftentimes people search for their own names, their own credit card and social security numbers, and any number of personal and embarrassing things, all connected by their "anonymous" user number. There is a huge vulnerability for identity theft and public embarrassment in these files, and many of these AOL users will have no idea their private searches were made public. Oftentimes the search results are much more unsettling than just the potential for identity theft, including one user who repeatedly searched about ways to kill his wife, amongst other things. Many questions are raised about privacy and whether or not someone who searches for "how to kill your wife" should be tracked by the police, but one thing is certain: AOL has yet another PR disaster on its hands. We'll keep you updated as to how this story develops. — Adam Frucci