Dealing with EBay trolls and ratbags. (Should we protect their privacy?)

[JeffH]

Well, we have wandered down an interesting path here. Slightly away from the original topic but worth pursuing. I have amended the thread title accordingly.

When I tried to check my bank account details in my eBay account I wasn't allowed to see the account number "For security reasons". That set me wondering; Has eBay (like many other organisations) started taking privacy issues to undue extremes?

Then I saw this article How Robb Lewis is helping web users erase their digital footprint with Justdelete.me website. Interesting information about how companies hold onto you details and how hard they make it to extricate yourself from their digital clutches.

One thing that grabbed my attention; "he has created a ''fake identity generator'' that generates a fake name, address, date of birth, username, password and even a biography for use on sites that demand it as a badge of entry". Two immediate thoughts;
•great idea to protect your privacy but, why should you need to do that?
•great idea for someone wanting to run amuck on the web to make it harder to be tracked down!
A two edged sword indeed.

So, where do we draw the line between protecting ourselves and not unduly harassing someone else? We can't depend on the justice system to control these pests -the rules are far too archaic for the way it is now.

Look forward to some interesting comments and, maybe, even some vigorous debate.

Jeff

[Fulvio]

So, where do we draw the line between protecting ourselves and not unduly harassing someone else?

That's a very interesting question, and answering it is truly a matter of life and death.

A couple of things about privacy...

Firstly, there is no such thing as a right to privacy. Never has been. Going back to the dawn of time, everybody in the village knew exactly what you were up to.

The problem has always been the use someone makes of information about you. And the more power they have, the more they can use it against you.

So while I don't give a continental about you, AJ, or the bloke next door knowing everything about me, you don't pose a threat. But corporations, governments and their enforcers most certainly DO pose a clear and present danger, and the less they know about me the better.

But the laws we now have are completely arse-about. They prevent even the simplest of enquiries which are innocent, but lay you completely bare to the most intrusive rectal examinations by an entire alphabet soup of outfits, including foreign ones.

And the worst part is since those making the rules are the same ones who stand to gain most from abusing them, there is zero prospect of beneficial changes, or even the unwinding of intrusions, especially those made in the name of "The War on Terror".

And people can and do die as a result. Obviously in certain parts of the world speaking your mind can be fatal, but even here in supposedly democratic bastions of free speech, it isn't safe to pop up on the radar screens.

Of course there are things that you can do. BitMessage for example, based on the same technology as BitCoin (which is itself a way to claw back some of our rights), can go a long way to keeping you among the ranks of the relatively free oxygen consumers, while allowing your alter ego to don cape and tights and fight the good fight. And there are other tools available, though not always easy to use.

Sadly I don't hold a lot of hope for wholesale improvements though. There isn't a nation on earth which isn't riddled with corruption and vested self-interest, and short of a revolution that simply isn't going to change. So the future looks exceedingly bleak, as we drift further and unredeemably into an Orwellian nightmare.

[ausjack]

got a few good points there Fulvio

[Ozcoins]

'So while I don't give a continental about you, AJ, or the bloke next door knowing everything about me, you don't pose a threat.'
How have you determined the threat level that each person you mention presents?
What threats do they present?
How much do you actually know about them?
It's much easier to not give out information about yourself than it is to determine what threats someone having that information poses.

[ausjack]

yep I'm a major threat..be down to see ya soon Fulvio so ya better lock the cat up :laugh2:

[Fulvio]

It's much easier to not give out information about yourself than it is to determine what threats someone having that information poses.

That's paranoia, which they've been actively promoting for at least 14 years now.

What can you do to hurt me, really?

You can physically assault me. That's much more likely to be random, and we see instances on the news daily.

You can rob me. Again, mostly random, and if I need to live in a dark cage cut off from the world to try and protect my stuff, I'd be better off without it.

You can attack my identity, either to try and achieve one of the above, or just to hurt me. But its hard to stalk someone by remote control, so there's some comeback for those who try.

What else can you really do that the bloke next door, or some random guy on the freeway can't do? How does knowing stuff about me help you achieve any of the above?

You have to balance risk intelligently. But for various reasons, that is no longer the case now. Instead we live in a culture of fear. Great for politicians, security companies and the Gestapo, but not so great for Joe Average.

Me, I would rather live in a world where you can do anything you please as long as it doesn't hurt someone else, rather than the world we are moving toward, where you can do nothing unless its specifically permitted, or indeed required.

[JeffH]

I would rather live in a world where you can do anything you please as long as it doesn't hurt someone else

Fine sentiment (and I am in agreement) but how do you measure level of "hurt". Some people are "hurt" just by a stranger saying "good morning" in the street.

If you do not want to "hurt" anyone then safest to commit suicide now! Hang on, that could hurt someone too. Every action you take might "hurt" someone. That is a problem.

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave" - Sir Walter Scott
And, to put it in context the rest of the quotation is "when first we practice to deceive."

[emu666]

IP address is probably too broad - they are most often not fixed to one customer, however there are other things which can (and probably actually are) to counter that sort of thing.
I will provide more detail in PM.

While you'd like to think they'd stop people having multiple accounts and take measures to ensure they don't I am almost certain eBay take almost no measures to prevent it.  We are aware of one eBay seller who has many, many, many alternate ID's that he uses to sell items, bid on competitors items, and in many cases simply make trouble with them (including habitually making damaged packaging claims seeking a partial refund).  I simply refuse to believe that someone who behaves in such a (frankly) crappy manner has enough technical know-how to get around even slightly sophisticated measures taken by eBay to prevent multiple ID's.  So my only conclusion is that eBay take NO measures to stop people signing up for multiple accounts.

Had James Mina blocked under:

blue-chip-coins
blue-chip-numismatics2000
perth-mint-coins
perth-mint-products
silver-proof-coins


then he bought under id:
downings-coins

Can be recognised by the feedback he leaves (often to himself)
always involving the words blue chip e.g.
Thank you for your Prompt Payment for this BLUE CHIP COIN 4 YOUR SUPERANUATION

When buying runs a scam pretending item arrives damaged; frequent shill bidder when selling.

[JeffH]

So, blocked bidders list is really a rather poor tool? Block one ID and another two pop up!

[Fulvio]

Some people are "hurt" just by a stranger saying "good morning" in the street.

A good start would be to make it clear to everyone that you do NOT have a right not to be offended. Which of course is completely opposite to the current politically-correct BS permeating the western world.

Example: If I want to make the world a better place by driving a human-powered four-wheel vehicle instead of a car, I'm forced to wear a bike helmet. If I refuse, I will be fined. But, if I'm a Sikh, I can ride a two-wheeler wearing a turban instead. WTF??? When did a supposed safety measure get turned into a cultural/religious fashion accessory? And the same goes for burqas in ID photos. :dodgy:

So, blocked bidders list is really a rather poor tool? Block one ID and another two pop up!

Yup. The only real controlling force on ebay is feedback. And if you get someone who doesn't care about their reputation, that means nothing and there is no downside to them having a swag of alts.

[runway]

IP address is probably too broad - they are most often not fixed to one customer, however there are other things which can (and probably actually are) to counter that sort of thing.
I will provide more detail in PM.

While you'd like to think they'd stop people having multiple accounts and take measures to ensure they don't I am almost certain eBay take almost no measures to prevent it.  We are aware of one eBay seller who has many, many, many alternate ID's that he uses to sell items, bid on competitors items, and in many cases simply make trouble with them (including habitually making damaged packaging claims seeking a partial refund).  I simply refuse to believe that someone who behaves in such a (frankly) crappy manner has enough technical know-how to get around even slightly sophisticated measures taken by eBay to prevent multiple ID's.  So my only conclusion is that eBay take NO measures to stop people signing up for multiple accounts.

Had James Mina blocked under:

blue-chip-coins
blue-chip-numismatics2000
perth-mint-coins
perth-mint-products
silver-proof-coins


then he bought under id:
downings-coins

Can be recognised by the feedback he leaves (often to himself)
always involving the words blue chip e.g.
Thank you for your Prompt Payment for this BLUE CHIP COIN 4 YOUR SUPERANUATION

When buying runs a scam pretending item arrives damaged; frequent shill bidder when selling.

Name and shame these grubs helps thanks emu

[Goldseeker]

But if we do name and shame, aren't the owners of this forum up for libel as per a previous now defunct forum?

[Fulvio]

But if we do name and shame, aren't the owners of this forum up for libel as per a previous now defunct forum?

Not necessarily. There are a number of defences, truth being the best one. Since the laws were changed a few years ago, its no longer necessary to prove public interest. Plus the statute of limitations is now only one year. Oh, and dead people can't sue... :diablo:

[Pedro]

Ah, I've worked it out: Fulvio = Dexter

Pedro

[ausjack]

:laugh2: no comment :good: