eBay Security Chief Turns Website Into Arm of the Law

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030707&s=engle

[undermyspell]

Brags Sullivan, "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."

My thoughts on this are: When you get a phone line they ask you how you want the listing and you can pretty much set the listing as anything. What's to stop some scammer from setting up their listing to show as a police department division of some sort and faxing ebay for information to use in scams? This seems like a violation of privacy if there isn't a court order in effect. Of course that's just my opinion.

[Panky]

"If you contact me," said Sullivan to assembled law-enforcement authorities, "I will hook you up with the Paypal people. They will help you get the information you're looking for.... In order to give you details about credit-card transactions, I have to see a court order. I suggest that you get one, if that's what you're looking for."


WTF? Just because EBay owns PayPal, does not give them the right to hand over personal information to a "law enforcement" agent who requests it without a legal court order. That's just bullshit!

How freakin' scary is that? Do business on EBay or use PayPal in general and your information is there for anyone who asks for it. It's a con-artists dream!

Then they go and say that you have to have a court order to obtain credit card information. Big deal. They already just released every other "private" information about you. The credit card would just be a bonus.

The Patriot Act allows ISPs to voluntarily hand over all "non-content" information to law enforcement without the need for a court order or subpoena. It also expands the category of information that law-enforcement figures can seek with a simple subpoena (no court review required) to include, among other things, IP addresses and credit card and bank account numbers.

It's pretty scary when you stop and think how much information about us is actually out there. Everytime you make a transaction at the bank...Everytime you use your debit card...Everytime you use a credit card.... Earn wages & pay taxes...Everytime you file an insurance claim...Everytime you register your car or renew a drivers license, among other things... your information is stored in multiple databases just waiting for someone to ask for it. We are branded for life by our Soc.Sec. #, Tax ID #, and the likes.

[sextoyking]

I Hope the Aclu or someone will bring suit against ebay on the violation of privacy.

If there is a court order, np at al then, but all you need is a fax?

Big brother is getting stronger every day