posted on May 20, 2007 06:06:59 PM new
eBay sent this message to FRANK
(agate18).
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Changes to the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy
Dear agate18,
I'm writing to let you know that the eBay User Agreement and eBay Privacy Policy have been updated, effective immediately for users registering as of May 16, 2007, and on July 9, 2007, for current users.
The rules and dispute resolution policies you originally agreed to in the User Agreement have not changed in any substantive way. We've made some changes to this agreement to make sure our legal documents are consistent with the ways our sites and services are evolving and to better meet the needs of our user community. You'll notice some changes to our "Content License" and "Abusing eBay" sections to that effect.
The new Privacy Policy, like the old one, outlines the broad categories of information we collect from you, how we use this information, and what your options are with respect to the information we collect. You'll notice a few changes to the policy, which we've made to cover new programs and site safety projects we're putting in place.
Combating Fraud. We're increasing our efforts to combat fraud on the site with a variety of programs. For example, we've made some changes that allow us to address "Ask a Question" and "My Messages" spam and other malicious activities using our message systems. And we're making sure our disclosures about cooperating with law enforcement allow us to respond to increasingly sophisticated fraudsters and criminals.
Streamlining Services. We've heard your comments about how many steps it takes to complete a transaction or get customer support where multiple eBay companies are involved. So we've made some changes that will allow our Customer Support team to help you with questions that span our companies. And we're streamlining your use of the services provided by members of the eBay corporate family, so your experience across the eBay Inc. platform will be as seamless as we can make it. Some of our new programs also mean you'll see eBay services and content in a lot of places (not just on the site), so we've made some changes to reflect that.
Customizing Your eBay Experience. We're rolling out programs and working with partners that help make our sites and services, and some of the ads you see on the web, more relevant and useful to you. Naturally, because we're a transparent community, we'll identify the new ads served with this program and provide you with choices about them. Beginning in July, we'll make a new preference available in My eBay--named AdChoice--that lets you tell us whether you want us to use the information we have about you to customize the ads you see. You'll be able to sign in and change your advertising preferences in My eBay at any time. You'll also notice links on the ads we serve this way, so you'll know an ad is served with the new program and be able to set your preferences right from the ad.
We hope you'll agree that these changes will make the eBay sites and services work better for you. If you accept the new User Agreement and Privacy Policy, you don't need to take any action. If you do not wish to accept the new User Agreement or Privacy Policy, please refer to our Help pages for instructions on how to close your account.
Thank you for using eBay and we look forward to many more successful transactions!
Sincerely,
Scott Shipman
Counsel -- Global Privacy Practices
eBay Inc.
posted on May 20, 2007 06:25:28 PM new
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I will never give ebay an opportunity to customize ads for me. I am going to ignore the preference just as I now ignore the ads.
posted on May 20, 2007 08:10:37 PM new
Love the part about being a "transparent company" Koz - you'd better make sure it's not an "opt out" kind of deal (I wouldn't put it past ebay) before ignoring it.
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posted on May 20, 2007 08:32:22 PM new
"a new preference available in My eBay--named AdChoice--that lets you tell us whether you want us to use the information we have about you to customize the ads you see. You'll be able to sign in and change your advertising preferences in My eBay at any time. You'll also notice links on the ads we serve this way, so you'll know an ad is served with the new program and be able to set your preferences right from the ad."
WTF?!
_____________________
There is more to life than increasing its speed. --Mahatma Gandhi
[ edited by roadsmith on May 20, 2007 08:32 PM ]
posted on May 21, 2007 07:41:27 AM new
I've already noticed what I think are some of the results of this... sometimes when you do a search on eBay, and don't get a hit from your search... it will show you a list of "Sponsored links" from OTHER BIG online retailers.
For example... try a search for "Nikon D200 camera picture". You'll likely get a sponsored link result.
I think this is total BS. It's bad enough that I've gotta compete with all the Chinese and Indian sellers... but now, they're making it easier for bidders to find their way OFF ebay. (which let's face it... part of the reason many of us can make sales is lots of bidders think that eBays the only place to look to shop). Not to mention... it's completely unfair to the rest of us because WE pay all the fees that keep ebay in operation, yet can't even advertise our own websites in our listings. Not sure what eBay's thinking with this one... but it sure seems like a quick way to disaster.
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Koz - you'd better make sure it's not an "opt out" kind of deal (I wouldn't put it past ebay) before ignoring it.
