[I hope this article is inaccurate and eBay will respond to set the record straight. Perhaps Tod, who's their senior policy counsel here in Washington, can tell us if eBay is rethinking its apparent cozy relationship with law enforcement. Also remember that eBay owns PayPal now. Doesn't David Chaum's blind signature systems patent (for anonymous digital cash) expire in July 2005? --Declan] --- From: "Bruce Gowens" <billygoatbruceat_private> To: declanat_private Subject: eBay, police & privacy Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 12:39:15 -0800 The story is at: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=264863&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y (nothing like long URL's you have to cut and paste). eBay apparently will reveal everything about you to any authority without any court protections upon a simple request. That includes personal data, what you have bought or sold (including book titles), etc. --- From: "ama-gi ISPI" <ISPI4Privacyat_private> To: "Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues" <ispi4privacyat_private> Cc: <politechat_private>, "Declan McCullagh" <declanat_private> Subject: eBay bends over backward to provide data to law enforcement Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 02:22:19 -0800 Hello Declan, I think the POLITECH list may find this interesting. Kind Regards, Mark Hughes Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) Markat_private Big Brother is watching you - and documenting http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=264863&contrassID =2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y eBay, ever anxious to up profits, bends over backward to provide data to law enforcement officials By Yuval Dror "I don't know another Web site that has a privacy policy as flexible as eBay's," says Joseph Sullivan. A little bit later, Sullivan explains what he means by the term "flexible." Sullivan is director of the "law enforcement and compliance" department at eBay.com, the largest retailer in the world. : : Sullivan says eBay has recorded and documented every iota of data that has come through the Web site since it first went online in 1995. Every time someone makes a bid, sells an item, writes about someone else, even when the company cancels a sale for whatever reason - it documents all of the pertinent information. : : "We don't make you show a subpoena, except in exceptional cases," Sullivan told his listeners. "When someone uses our site and clicks on the `I Agree' button, it is as if he agrees to let us submit all of his data to the legal authorities. Which means that if you are a law-enforcement officer, all you have to do is send us a fax with a request for information, and ask about the person behind the seller's identity number, and we will provide you with his name, address, sales history and other details - all without having to produce a court order. We want law enforcement people to spend time on our site," he adds. He says he receives about 200 such requests a month, most of them unofficial requests in the form of an email or fax. Continued: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=264863&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y --- From: Eric Cordian <emcat_private> Subject: eBay's Patriotism To: cypherpunks Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 11:17:12 -0800 (PST) There's an interesting story on the home page of http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ disclosing eBay's policy of giving all information they have on a user to any guvment-appearing person who asks for it. It's well known that eBay ruminates over what fraud could do to its reputation, and employs a slew of former prosecutors and ex-LEA types to be on the constant lookout for it. Nonetheless, it's somewhat stunning to see eBay's policy articulated in print, in somewhat less disingenuous terms than are articulated in the "I Agree" link one clicks when registering with the site. It's probably not a bright idea to login to eBay when just browsing items. ----- ... One fax to eBay from a lawman - police investigator, NSA, FBI or CIA employee, National Park ranger - and eBay sends back the user's full name, email address, home address, mailing address, home telephone number, name of company where seller is employed and user nickname. What's more, eBay will send the history of items he has browsed, feedbacks received, bids he has made, prices he has paid, and even messages sent in the site's various discussion groups. ... -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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