Sometimes in the middle of talking security and how companies and individuals can protect themselves in the connected world in which we live, I run into a story that just makes me shake my head. Recently six former members of the eBay Security Team went after an online newsletter that was critical of eBay. (See Story Here) This stalking was not just sending them emails or social media posts but went as far as sending disturbing packages to the couple who hosted the newsletter. This group was also planning on starting surveillance against the couple by planting GPS trackers in their car when they were caught. The former CEO of eBay resigned because of this investigation and his conduct when the episode was revealed. eBay did issue a press release on the incident in which they addressed the various allegations. (See Release Here) This story is disconcerting for many reasons but mostly because what we saw here was a large organization target a small newsletter because of the negative press being generated. If these allegations are proven to be correct, this should serve as a warning to any company that threatens to use its security teams in this way.
With that being said, there is value in watching for negative press on social media and trying to mitigate the effect the story could have. This is something school districts have been doing for years mainly to try and detect school shooters and other threats. I have also often encouraged other companies to monitor social media for negative reports and suggested they try to mitigate those stories but this is the first instance I can remember where a company took action at this level. What remains unanswered (and probably will remain so) is whether the fired CEO knew of their actions and advocated them?