AB FAQ - Safeguarding Member IDs

1. What is the Safeguarding Member ID project?
   

   The Safeguarding Member IDs project is a new approach to auction-style listings that offers more privacy for our members through changing how bidding information is displayed. We believe this change will help to balance the need for openness and transparency in the marketplace, with the need to protect our Community of members from the threats that have appeared as the Internet has grown.

   We also believe the Safeguarding Member IDs project provides the Community with enough information about the bidders involved in an auction-style listing for them to feel confident in placing a bid -- without revealing actual User IDs.

   We're implementing this new system on listings where the high bid is AU$250 or greater, which is where we believe it can have the greatest positive impact. The bid information for listings where the bid is lower than AU$250 will display as it does today.

   Here's what will change:

   1. On the bid history page for each listing we'll replace User IDs with aliases (such as Bidder 1, Bidder 2 and Bidder 3) in the order that bidders place their first bid. For each bidder involved in a listing, we'll display the category, a range that their feedback score falls within (i.e. 10-49, for instance), their percentage of positive feedback, their length of time as an eBay member, and the number of bids they've placed on the item. At the end of a listing, the winning bidder's User ID will be displayed on the item page. Please note: Sellers will still be able to access bidder information on their listings through the Bid History page and the My eBay selling table.
   2. In My eBay, members will no longer have access to the high-bidder column from bid and watch tables.
   3. On the item page, you'll only be able to see the high-bidder ID if you are the signed-in seller of the item or the signed-in high bidder.
   4. Through the Advanced Search by Bidder link, we'll only show completed listings within the last 30 days.

   Future enhancements are being designed that will provide even more transaction data about the bidders and seller involved in a transaction. We'll continue to update the community on these changes as these plans become finalized.

2. Why is eBay making this change?
   

   Member IDs - and member information such as feedback and previous bidding and/or buying activity - have always been freely available to anyone visiting the site. Unfortunately, while bid history and contact information is helpful when evaluating a transaction, criminals can use this information for potentially harmful purposes.

   The problem of spam, spoof, and fake Second Chance Offer emails has not gone away. In fact, despite industry leading efforts to educate the Community about online safety (eBay Toolbar, tutorials and safety messaging), partnering with law enforcement and industry groups, and investments in technology that make the site more safe -- we've seen this problem grow. Increasingly, sellers and buyers have turned to us for a solution.

   We believe the Safeguarding Member IDs project provides the Community with enough information about the bidders involved in an auction-style listing in order for them to feel confident in placing a bid -- without revealing actual User IDs.

3. What is the timing of this launch for eBay.com.au?
   

   This feature will launch on eBay.com.au on 23 November, 2006.

4. How can I stay safe on the internet?
   

   Remember these important online safety tips:

   • Never pay with Western Union, Money Gram or other instant money transfer methods. These methods are unsafe for online shopping and it's against eBay's Accepted Payments Policy for a seller to ask you to pay with them.
   • Always verify Second Chance Offers - If you receive an email with a Second Chance Offer for an item you recently bid on, check in My Messages to make sure the offer is authentic. If it appears in My Messages with the title "eBay Second Chance Offer for Item..." it's authentic. If it does not appear in My Messages, it is not legitimate and should be ignored. You can help us by reporting fake emails to spoof@ebay.com.au or spoof@paypal.com.au.
   • Download the eBay Toolbar - The eBay Toolbar includes Account Guard which goes green when you are on a legitimate site and red when you are on a known fraudulent site.
   • Monitor your account regularly for suspicious activity - Prevent problems by staying alert and catching any suspicious activity early. We recommend you sign into My eBay and your PayPal accounts frequently to ensure that all the transactions listed are legitimate.
   • Be suspicious of any email that requests personal information - Do not click on any links in emails that ask you to submit your financial or personal information if you can not verify its authenticity.
   
   
5. Will eBay lose trust of buyers by hiding bidder information?
   

   It's very important that eBay buyers trust our buying process. That's why we are developing an approach that will give members information about relevant bidding and/or selling activity of the members involved in an auction-style listing without revealing specific User IDs.

   We'll be monitoring the impact of these changes carefully, and we'll continue to listen to our Community's input.

6. After the changes to Bid History are launched, how will eBay detect shill bidding?
   

   First, eBay is committed to prevent shill bidding from occurring on our site. It's important to remember that, while the public will not have access to User IDs under the Safeguarding Bidder ID site changes, eBay will continue to have the same access to information that we have today.

   eBay takes the issue of shill bidding (the use of a secondary bidding account to increase the level of bidding and the apparent value of an item) very seriously. Shill bidding is a violation that, when detected, leads to an immediate suspension or sanction.

   In the last several years, we've invested heavily in shill detection systems that enable us to proactively detect and investigate possible shill bidding scenarios with a higher rate of accuracy than ever before. Our backend systems collect more information on selling and/or bidding activity than our Community has access to, so we can detect patterns and ascertain identities much more accurately.

   With the information provided as part of the Safeguarding Member ID project, we believe that members will still be able to detect and report suspicious activity. While we proactively search the site for shill bidding, we do appreciate the reports from the Community of suspicious activity and will continue to investigate them and take action where appropriate.

7. If I can't see the User ID of the member who outbid me, how do I know that the bid was legitimate?
   

   We've spent a lot of time analysing how our members use the bidding information today. The Safeguarding Member ID project was developed based on many conversations with members. They told us their needs during the bidding process, as well as their concerns about safety.

   While specific User IDs will not be visible, individual bidders will be identified by an alias (such as bidder1, bidder2, etc.). For each bidder involved in a listing, we'll display the category, a range that their feedback score falls within (i.e. 10- 49, for instance), their percentage of positive feedback, their length of time as an eBay member, and the number of bids they've placed on the item

   Future enhancements are being designed that will provide even more transaction data about the bidders and seller involved in a transaction. We'll continue to update the Community on these changes as these plans become finalized.

   Naturally, if you ever suspect any suspicious activity, you can report it as you do today through the eBay Toolbar or through Help on the site.

8. If I'm a seller, can I see the bid history on my own listings?
   

   Yes, if you are the seller you will continue to have access to the User IDs for the bidders on your active listing through the Bid History page and the My eBay selling table.

9. What will the impact on 3^rd party tools be?
   

   Some 3^rd party tool providers will need to make adjustments. Please work directly with these service providers for more details.

10. How will members spot malicious bidding or attempts by others to interfere with the site?
    

    Malicious bidding is an action perpetrated against a seller. In this case, the logged in seller will still be able to see the member User IDs on the Bid History page. A seller can also click through to a bidder's Feedback Profile page to view their feedback. Through the feedback pages, a seller will be able to see a bidder's most recent items where there has been feedback exchanged.

11. Can members search for one another using the "Items by Bidder" option under Advanced Search?
    

    A member can search for another member using Advanced Search, "Items by Bidder"; however, only completed items won in the last 30 days will be displayed. In contrast, today's functionality displays all the items the member has bid or won in the last 30 days.

12. I use Items by Bidder to find other sellers with listings I might want to bid on. Will I lose this ability?
    

    You will lose the ability to see open items a member has bid on in the release in November. We hope to provide slightly more transparency in a release in early 2007.