Slashdot Mirror
eBay Provides No Privacy For Sellers
Phanatic1a writes "Quoted in an article in The Nation, eBay's chief of security Joseph Sullivan brags up eBay's "flexible" privacy policy to LEOs, telling them "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." The tens of millions of Paypal customers eBay has access to the financial records of might be curious to see what else Sullivan promises..."
The privacy extended to sellers on eBay is no different than the privacy extended to sellers in the brick-and-mortar world. In most US localities, you have to have a permit even to have a yardsale in your own front yard, and that permit is public record, as are ALL business permits, viewable by anyone who so desires, without need of a court order.
If this were about the privacy of a BUYER that might be different. But it isn't. A person peddling his wares to the general public should have no expectation of privacy.
The title of this article should have read "eBay Provides No Privacy For Sellers...Slashdot, As Usual, Attempts To Make An Issue Where There Is None."
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
Commerce only works in the presence of a free flow of information. The buyer and seller should know something about each other, or have reasonable confidence that they can gain relevant information to conduct a transaction. Then they need to know about the stuff they are exchanging.
As there is a lot of money in commerce, fraud is a serious danger. In order to mitigate fraud, law enforcement needs to be invited to the party. The law brings government along, and more information becomes available as a result.
While this intrudes on the privacy of the people conducting business, it also multiplies the value of business people who maintain a good reputation and are in good standing with the relevant authorities. Thus is born the merchant class, those who sacrafice some personal freedom and anonymity in exchange for the potential to profit.
Now if you just want to do a one off transaction, feel free to hire a merchant. This is particularly common when purchasing a house or condo. Rather than become familiar with the law, standards and precadent of the real estate industry and relevant government, buyers typically work with Real Estate Agents. Agents must have their orders finalized by a broker, who must satisfy further educational requirements.
See also, Stock and Commodities brokers, shipping agents, car dealers, etc.
Now recal the last big art sale at Sothoby's. At least one of the bidders was representing an anonymous billionaire or maybe even Saddam Hussein back on their yacht a thousand miles away.
The internet is growing up, it is not just a private club anymore. Welcome to the real world.