The World Privacy Forum has filed a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint against AOL, saying the company violated its own privacy policy by releasing the search records from hundreds of thousands of its members.The World Privacy Forum, a privacy advocacy group, asked the FTC to investigate AOL’s release of search records this year, to fine AOL a “substantial” amount of money and to order AOL to provide free credit counseling to any members who had their personal data exposed in AOL’s release of the search records.The World Privacy Forum’s complaint, filed Wednesday, came two days after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a privacy and civil liberties advocacy group, filed a similar complaint with the FTC.AOL’s release of search queries is “in violation of consumer expectations for the maintenance, use, and disclosure of personal information,” the World Privacy Forum said in its complaint. An AOL spokesman wasn’t immediately available for comment Thursday. Earlier in the week, AOL declined to comment on the EFF complaint, but said AOL can’t notify the affected users because there is no way for it to identify the accounts involved.The EFF and World Privacy Forum complaints came after the disclosure last week that AOL had made available on its AOL Research website about 20 million search records from about 658,000 of its members. AOL didn’t disclose the members’ names, but it categorized each person’s records with a unique number, making it possible to see what each individual searched for. AOL acknowledged the release was a lapse in judgement and removed the data file from its website, but many websites published the records. Some of the records included credit card, telephone and Social Security numbers, as well as birth dates, full names and addresses.AOL’s release of the search records “comprise a pattern of personal data activities contravening the AOL privacy policy,” the World Privacy Forum said in its complaint.-Grant Gross, IDG News Service (Washington Bureau)Keep checking in at our Security Feed for updated news coverage. Related content news Multibillion-dollar cybersecurity training market fails to fix the supply-demand imbalance Despite money pouring into programs around the world, training organizations have not managed to ensure employment for professionals, while entry-level professionals are finding it hard to land a job By Samira Sarraf Oct 02, 2023 6 mins CSO and CISO Technology Industry IT Training news Royal family’s website suffers Russia-linked cyberattack Pro-Russian hacker group KillNet took responsibility for the attack days after King Charles condemned the invasion of Ukraine. By Michael Hill Oct 02, 2023 2 mins DDoS Cyberattacks news ShadowSyndicate Cybercrime gang has used 7 ransomware families over the past year Researchers from Group-IB believe it's likely the group is an independent affiliate working for multiple ransomware-as-a-service operations By Lucian Constantin Oct 02, 2023 4 mins Hacker Groups Ransomware Cybercrime feature 10 things you should know about navigating the dark web A lot can be found in the shadows of the internet from sensitive stolen data to attack tools for sale, the dark web is a trove of risks for enterprises. Here are a few things to know and navigate safely. By Rosalyn Page Oct 02, 2023 13 mins Cybercrime Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe