EBay Safety Guidelines

[joe_collector]

EBay just changed their Privacy and User Agreement contracts, and after reading them through, here are my recommendations:

 

1) Don't use their system for any email. If you have to ask a question of a seller/bidder, do so in a generic "Email me back please, I have a question." type of generic message. I've been doing that since EBay instituted the system, but some people still send the message through the EBay system.

 

2) Don't post on their forums. Same as above, as all data is collected and can be dispersed on demand and linked to your financial records if you are a seller.

 

3) Be extremely careful selling software, CDs, DVDs or any other copyrighted material, even if it's 100% legal to do so. Due to the prevalence of pirated material, you will not be given the benefit of the doubt.

 

4) Do not sign up for that "direct withdrawal" method of paying EBay fees through your bank account.

 

There are some other common sense guidelines, but the most important thing to remember is that anything and everything you write, post or send through the EBay system is collected and can freely dispersed to virtually anyone, linked to your financial data, and potentially used against you.

 

I hate to sound paranoid, but EBay is steadily turning into Big Brother, and it amazed me what they do, can do, and will do with anything you have input into their system.. which naturally goes into your permanent "personal file".

[drbanner]

I hate to sound paranoid

 

I'm sorry to hear that!!

[FlyingDonut]

You can, by the way, thank the U.S. Patriot Act for all of this.

 

===> please note this is NOT a political statement <=====

 

the Patriot Act allows agents of the Government to look at computer transactions (and library records!) to see if there is potential terrorist activities.

[drbanner]

please note this is NOT a political statement

 

Does this mean we have to go to the water cooler if we want to criticize Bush?

 

I think these changes are basically going to encourage the creation of secondary, tertiary, etc.,. accounts for users to hide from the regulations. Oh well, not like it doesn't happen already!

[ArAich]

It's just like physics...

 

For every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force

[Darthdiesel]

the Patriot Act allows agents of the Government to look at computer transactions (and library records!) to see if there is potential terrorist activities.

 

I know... MUAHAHAHAHA! MUHAHAHAHA!

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

EBay just changed their Privacy and User Agreement contracts, and after reading them through, here are my recommendations:

 

Thanks for informing and giving (us) sound advice! I probably have a notice about this in my email, but I havn't checked my email today, or maybe I'm thinking of PayPal. I know I get notices of changes in the user agreement from PayPal.

 

1) Don't use their system for any email. If you have to ask a question of a seller/bidder, do so in a generic "Email me back please, I have a question." type of generic message. I've been doing that since EBay instituted the system, but some people still send the message through the EBay system.

 

Might I add, create an email account for the sole purpose of eBay and PayPal! I'm one of those (stupid) people that have ocassionally sent messages through their system. I've never asked or provided any "sensitive" information or private information per say. Usually, I might ask a question like "did you grade this book yourself, or are you "passing" the grade down?" I don't care if eBay collects this type of information. I don't know what they would "do" with it, or how they would "use" it against me.

 

2) Don't post on their forums. Same as above, as all data is collected and can be dispersed on demand and linked to your financial records if you are a seller.

 

This is especially good advice for the eBay scammers! I don't think that an honest seller would have anything to worry about if they use some common sense. *shrug* Maybe I'm missing something?

 

3) Be extremely careful selling software, CDs, DVDs or any other copyrighted material, even if it's 100% legal to do so. Due to the prevalence of pirated material, you will not be given the benefit of the doubt.

 

Good advice for the honest seller, listing legal software, CDs, and DVDs. And you couldn't be more right about the prevalence of pirated material. I'm about 2 steps away from kissing eBay goodbye because of [!@#%^&^] like that.

 

4) Do not sign up for that "direct withdrawal" method of paying EBay fees through your bank account.

 

That is very, very good advice. That reminds me, I need to get my bank account number changed so that PayPal doesn't have a legit account number from me.

 

There are some other common sense guidelines, but the most important thing to remember is that anything and everything you write, post or send through the EBay system is collected and can freely dispersed to virtually anyone, linked to your financial data, and potentially used against you.

 

Say, you wouldn't also be a fan of a program called "Spybot Search and Destroy" would you? Spybot removes information collecting files also known as "spyware". A person can take the measures you've mentioned above, but if you have "spyware" on your computer, then it really doesn't matter. The authors of spyware can still collect information from your computer through "spyware". Oh, and the popular program "Kazaa" is one of the worst programs that includes multiple spyware, and if you try and remove them, it renders Kazaa useless/unuseable. Kazaa includes the following "spyware": Brilliant Digital, Cydoor, DoubleClick (very common), DownloadWare, New.net, PromulGate, and SaveNow. So how would you feel about entrusting the information stored on your computer with those companies?

 

I hate to sound paranoid,

 

Your not being paranoid, your using your brain, and thinking ahead.

 

EBay is steadily turning into Big Brother, and it amazed me what they do, can do, and will do with anything you have input into their system.. which naturally goes into your permanent "personal file".

 

...and that is another reason why I'm very close to saying goodbye to eBay. It's becoming a "full-time" job just to do a few transaction through eBay.

[CosmicBob]

1) Don't use their system for any email. If you have to ask a question of a seller/bidder, do so in a generic "Email me back please, I have a question." type of generic message. I've been doing that since EBay instituted the system, but some people still send the message through the EBay system.

 

Why is this bad? What do they get from you asking a question through eBay?

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

the Patriot Act allows agents of the Government to look at computer transactions (and library records!) to see if there is potential terrorist activities.

 

Do you suppose they can get through hardware firewalls?

 

 

[OldGuy]

If what you want to get through can, then what you don't want to get through can also. The only 100% secure firewall is one that's unplugged.

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

The only 100% secure firewall is one that's unplugged.

 

How would you know?

 

 

 

 

Pause and wait.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously, I'm sure there are people out there that can get through any firewall, let's just hope they work for the government!

 

 

[OldGuy]

Funny story. On our WAN (covers the entire state) the server that gets "hit" the most (out of 86 servers) with unauthorized connections is on the state university campus. It sits behind the university firewall and our firewall and is still the biggest source of DOS attacks and SQL viruses on our network. Damn those kids! The funny part is that we’ll be doing our best to hire them as IT Security Specialists when they graduate.

[PovertyRow]

On our WAN (covers the entire state) the server that gets "hit" the most (out of 86 servers) with unauthorized connections is on the state university campus. It sits behind the university firewall and our firewall and is still the biggest source of DOS attacks and SQL viruses on our network.

 

Well you know what they say...any port in a storm!

[FlyingDonut]

They're not going through firewalls:

 

From yesterday's Washington Post:

 

The USA Patriot Act, swiftly approved by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, gives federal investigators greater authority to examine all book and computer records. The law requires investigators to get a search warrant from a federal court before seizing records, but those proceedings are secret and not subject to appeal. It also forbids libraries and other private companies from informing patrons that their reading or computer habits are being monitored by the government.

 

Basically, eBay has to give up your records if the Feds want them.

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

They're not going through firewalls:

 

Hehe, I wasn't suggesting that eBay is or isn't trying to get through HARDWARE firewalls. (all firewall are not created equal ). I was referring to the United States Government.

 

Basically, eBay has to give up your records if the Feds want them.

 

This might bother you, but it doesn't bother me, I don't have anything to hide. They would probably fall asleep reviewing my records.

 

 

[joe_collector]

Read the user agreement again, EBay doesn't even require a warrant, subpoena or other legal document, just anyone government related calling in and requesting info. Read it and weep:

 

eBay cooperates with law enforcement inquiries, as well as other third parties to enforce laws, such as: intellectual property rights, fraud and other rights, to help protect you and the eBay community from bad actors. Therefore, in response to a verified request by law enforcement or other government officials relating to a criminal investigation or alleged illegal activity, we can (and you authorize us to) disclose your name, city, state, telephone number, email address, UserID history, fraud complaints, and bidding and listing history without a subpoena.

 

Truly bizarre, and as many in the press have alluded, likely a payback for not getting EBay dirty in the fraud cases.

[fantastic_four]

Why is this bad? What do they get from you asking a question through eBay?

Yea I don't see the big deal with this...what the heck are you guys asking sellers on E-Bay that would matter to anybody listening in? You guys asking the S & M toy sellers whether they make house calls or something?

 

I figured they put this system in to:

 

• Keep buyers from freely getting the e-mail addresses of sellers who didn't want their e-mail disclosed
  
• Keep buyers from making direct buy offers for items outside of E-Bay

I've got no problems with either of those reasons...and I still make direct offers thru their e-mail anyway. They could kick me off I guess, but oh well...they make it so easy to get new accounts that it doesn't seem to matter.

[underthebigw]

Get ready--next thing, all of us are going to have start declaring even minor day-to-day selling on ebay to the IRS, even if it is only part of our normal buying and selling patterns related to our hobby and not for profit. How can the gov't resist mining this already organized database of sales info? Instant revenue.

[joe_collector]

>>I've got no problems with either of those reasons...and I still make direct offers thru their e-mail anyway.

 

Hey, it's your nickel, but personally, I don't like that all my internal email through EBay is read, parsed, stored and otherwise screwed around with before it gets to the recipient.

 

Just personal preference.

[BachelorOfComix]

I don't like that all my internal email through EBay is read, parsed, stored and otherwise screwed around with before it gets to the recipient.

Are there really people at Ebay who sit there & read over the hundreds of thousands of emails that are sent through their system daily? Do you know of anyone who has had this info used against them?

 

Cheers,

 

Bachelor of Comics