BOULDER, Colo.—Law enforcement officials say the recent arrest of a Boulder couple based on snooping on eBay is not uncommon, and the company says it cooperates with investigators.
One federal agent in San Diego alone has identified three dozen suspect meth and ecstasy labs in the last two years, according to an affidavit filed by the Boulder County Drug Task Force. It is estimated that $60 billion worth of goods changes hands on the Web service each year, but sophisticated software can track suspicious purchases.
“People that are involved in illegal drug trafficking are going to try to find ways that will not cause them to come under suspicion—whether it’s online or whether they go to a third party,” Mike Turner, an agent with the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division, told the Camera.
“We have a global Fraud Investigations Team who collaborates with law enforcement to assist them in their investigations,” said Nichola Sharpe, an eBay spokeswoman. “We’ve been working with the Drug Enforcement Agency as far back as 2006. People buy items that are completely harmless—law enforcement can look at that and see it’s suspicious.”
Because the items bought may be being used legally, it can be difficult to get a search warrant, the Camera reported. Administrative subpoenas, which allow the DEA easy access to business record, are easier to obtain.
“We couldn’t get an administrative subpoena to search a home,” said Turner.
eBay has streamlined the process, setting up a page for law enforcement, it includes a link to a page for “the blotter,” which lists recent busts connected with eBay across the world. Most are related to stolen property.
“Selling illegal or prohibited items is neither permitted nor welcome in eBay,” Sharpe said.
Even advocates of Internet privacy do not oppose such searches. There is no expectation of privacy on that type of site, says Center for Technology and Democracy, a nonprofit that lobbies for Internet privacy.
“If you are openly forwarding your illegal enterprise on an open-auction Web site, you can’t expect that to be hidden from the world,” said Dave McGuire, director of communications for the center. “You have to exercise some common sense. For this case, though, it doesn’t set off any alarm bells for us.”
He said the center is much more concerned about police operations in which large amounts of personal information from the Internet are made available without any suspicious circumstances.
“You should research who you’re doing business with and what their policy is,” McGuire said. “There’s a certain concept of online hygiene.”
eBay requires users to agree that their information will be shared with law enforcement if they receive a request.
