By Jon Newton - p2pnet.net

"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."

Why should you care?

Because eBay owns PayPal, an e-payment firm recommended by a lot of sites - including some p2p app builders.

The quote comes, apparently, from Joseph Sullivan, director of law enforcement and compliance at eBay.com, the largest retailer in the world. It's in a February 21 online Ha'aretz story.

The story says Sullivan was speaking to senior reps of "numerous" law-enforcement agencies at 'Cyber Crime 2003,' a conference held last week in Connecticut.

"His lecture was closed to reporters, and for good reason," it states. "Haaretz has obtained a recording of the lecture, in which Sullivan tells the audience that eBay is willing to hand over everything it knows about visitors to its Web site that might be of interest to an investigator. All they have to do is ask."

"PayPal has about 20 million customers, which means that we have 20 millions files on its users," Sullivan boasts proudly to his law enforcement listeners in the story.

"If you contact me, I will hook you up with the Paypal people. They will help you get the information you're looking for."

I am an avid seller on ebay, and am seeing how ebay is pretty much throwing out the constitution, pretty much the government is allowing out rights to end. This just iritates me a little because even honest people, like people who share legal files, can still be guilty untill proven innocent.
Check out www.givemeliberty.org for more info on how your rights in America are disapearing.
Thanks

I ran into a brick wall when I tried to sell on eBay, but that's another story and, even though I gave up trying to auction music, I still use PayPal.

On one hand, I really don't care if eBay examines my account for suspicious activity in an effort to prevent fraud. As long as I'm not doing anything illegal, I really don't have anything to worry about. They can look at my account all day if they want.

However, this opens up my customers for unnecessary scrutiny in the event I decide to sell a CD that contains "politically incorrect" material. Or a book that becomes controversial.

Time to bite the bullet and install a more expensive e-commerce solution that really is secure. Obviously, PayPal is not.

well dosn't that suck.

I think it's totally appropriate. You commit some fraudulent activity, your going to pay for it. Plain and simple. Making the Police's life easier, well that just a bonus.

Deepinside,
Its not about that, its about protecting our rights and being innocent until proven guilty.
The way u see things insuates guilty until you prove your innocence.
Thanks

does anybody know when this site stopped being a music site?

Directive - Maybe so, but do you want to be in the next WTC? MY friend was. He got out, thank god. If it comes to police asking to see info in order to make a better call on something, pffft, go for it. I've got nothing to hide. Do you?

Ebay's actions discussed here could not be more inappropriate. All Americans are entitled to due process of law and right to privacy. No personal information should ever be revealed to any government or investigative body without a search warrant or court order indicating probable cause.

This is an integral part of the democratic process. It is not a matter of having anything to hide. No one's personal business should be revealed to anyone else without probable cause. I like having my privacy and everyone else is entitled to the same right. These are some of the ideals the US was founded on. If you do not value your personal freedoms then maybe living in a democratic country that holds liberty dear is not for you and you are welcome to leave but do not attempt to push your views on others and imply they are guilty of a crime simply because they do not want their personal data freely distributed.

You may have seen this quote below from Ben Franklin before. I print it here for you and eBay, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Anyone who want to give up thier freedoms should either accept them and the responsibilities they come with or go somewhere else. I'd rather be dead than give up any of my rights.

DeepInside,
Thanks for what you said. Please do not forget the 5th amendment and other rights we have that do protect us. What irritates me is that with out a warrant, they do pretty much whatever they want.
Lastly, just because people would like things to be private, do not mean that they have anything to hide.
Thanks

i've always hated PayPal, it's just another reason to boycott them, plus they are bad for webmasters, they charge, yes charge you to use their paymet system, about 20% commission, so if you arn't getting donations, you gotta charge way more for those who buy stuff using PayPal.

I hear ya, directive. what's going on here is a bitter shame. It is not about having anything to hide, we just want Big Brother out of our business -- there is no place for it in a country that claims to be free. I will be boycotting paypal and eBay as well.

Thisisme1,
Thanks for your words, though ebay has its problems, i will still be selling there.
Thanks

Since i don't sell or buy on Ebay, and refuse to use PayPal for purchases on my site, or to buy from others, this really doesn't effect me. But i don't agree with them giving away your personal information to anyone with a badge. I believe that they MUST have a warrant in order to do this.

I've always hated PayPal anyway. It is the absolute worst payment method in the history of the earth. The stout defiance of our rights is one more reason to boycott them and proclaim them evil everywhere we go. Take heed, fellow Americans, the country's going to hell. Have phun.

And by the way, smelv1n, this site was never really a music site, but a site for discussion about and related to Gnutella, hence Gnutella.com, not Music.com.

I just hope the authorities can tell the real criminals from those who make honest mistakes...I never used paypal though..I don't even have a credit card...

Well if u think about the exploitasyon possibilitiz. Well though you might hate paypal, somewhat if u need softwarez that you can only pay through paypal u gonna get it. Even if it is not paypal, it'll b summin else, T. So in the future xpect alot of popular Freewarez/sharewarez/P2P etc to be shipped by BigBrother. So even if you don't want to be part of Ebay/ Paypal and aliases. You'll b pide-pipered to. "Run Ratz, and i'll still get you" this is wot they r sayin. But hey someday Bigbrother headquarterz will b decentralized