eBay, an online marketplace, has agreed to pay a $3 million fine to resolve criminal charges about a campaign of harassment that its employees organized against a couple who posted critical comments about the company on their blog.
Executives at eBay targeted Ina and David Steiner, the publishers of the eCommercebytes newsletter, sending them unsettling things like bloody pig masks and live spiders. The pair was subjected to harassment that was intended to silence them, leaving them “emotionally, psychologically, and physically” scarred.
According to court records, Jim Baugh, eBay’s former senior director of safety and security, and six associates led the campaign against the Steiners. Along with placing a GPS tracking device on the couple’s vehicle and creating deceptive Craigslist ads inviting visitors to their house for sex, the intimidation techniques included delivering sinister items.
In response to accusations related to their involvement in the cyberstalking campaign, Baugh and six other eBay workers and contractors entered guilty pleas. Baugh received a 57-month jail sentence. Two of the other three senior eBay security executives were placed under home detention, while three more were sentenced to prison. Sentencing is pending for one former security manager.
eBay’s actions, characterized as “absolutely horrific” by acting US Attorney Josh Levy of Massachusetts, underscore the necessity of responsible business conduct in the online era. The list of mailed items is part of a civil complaint that the Steiners filed against eBay and a few former executives. The case has been allowed to move forward.