6 Permanent link to IFAW Applauds eBay for Global Ivory Ban; An Interview with Barbara Cartwright, IFAW Campaign Manager IFAW Applauds eBay for Global Ivory Ban; An Interview with Barbara Cartwright, IFAW Campaign Manager

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Monday, December 29th, 2008

IFAW Applauds eBay for Global Ivory Ban; An Interview with Barbara Cartwright, IFAW Campaign Manager

I first reported that eBay was instituting a global ban on ivory sales on its website back in October. Earlier today, The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) issued a press release talking about the ban and how the organization worked closely with eBay to make it happen. I received a lot of emails and comments regarding the news so when I heard that IFAW was issuing a press release this week, I thought it would be great to get some time to discuss it with Barbara Cartwright, IFAW Campaign Manager. What follows is the transcript of her answers to my questions over this past weekend. Thanks again to Barbara for taking the time and for sharing her thoughts, and the point of view of the IFAW, here with Ink readers.

Cheers,
RBH
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0 Permanent link to Microsoft IE Security Update Microsoft IE Security Update

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, December 18th, 2008

Microsoft IE Security Update

Hi Everyone,
It has become increasingly important to protect your computer against exploits and viruses by regularly updating your browser and operating system.

Yesterday, Microsoft released the latest critical patch for a recently detected vulnerability, that allows unsafe web pages to insert malware onto your computer. This can wreak havoc by stealing user names, passwords and other critical information, and at the same time impact your browsing in negative and damaging ways.

I strongly recommend, as a security expert, to avoid such problems by keeping your computer up-to-date with the latest patches—just as you would maintain your car for road safety. Microsoft offers an automatic update feature for Windows operating systems that you should enable. You can also check your system to ensure that you have the latest patches by going to the Microsoft Security and Update page.

I also recommend:
• Get a recent version of anti-virus, firewall and anti-spyware software
• Never run or download software that you don’t trust or click on links or attachments from people you don’t know
• Be extremely wary of holiday offers or any that sound too good to be true

These precautions will help you to have a much safer online experience. For more information, tools and tutorials please visit the eBay Security Center and Announcement Board.

Wishing you a safe and pleasant holiday!

Rich LaMagna
Online Safety Advisor

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4 Permanent link to StubHub Launches “Tickets for Trees” for the NFL Playoffs StubHub Launches “Tickets for Trees” for the NFL Playoffs

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, December 18th, 2008

StubHub Launches “Tickets for Trees” for the NFL Playoffs

StubHub launched a pretty cool program earlier today with its “Tickets for Trees”, an effort to plant a tree for every ticket purchased on StubHub for the 2008-09 NFL post-season. According to the press release, StubHub has partnered with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and will plant trees in National Forests across the U.S. in the closest proximity to cities hosting playoff games, as well as in the Ocala National Forest near Tampa, Florida, site of Super Bowl XLIII. For example, when the Tennessee Titans host their divisional playoff game in Nashville, StubHub will plant a tree in the Cherokee National Forest in Eastern Tennessee for each ticket purchased through StubHub for that event and any subsequent home games at LP Field. StubHub expects to plant tens of thousands of trees early in 2009 in up to eleven National Forests across the country, based on transaction volume coupled with individual fan donations.

Okay, I’ve been writing this blog for a little over 8 months now and I seem to expose a little bit more about myself each time. One thing I don’t think I’ve addressed before is how much of a sports fanatic I truly am. I have been a Miami Dolphins fan since I first moved to the country back in 1984 (we lived in Fort Lauderdale for a little over two years) and I’ve stuck with them through thick and thin (I watched all 15 losses last season and the lone win) so I’ve been getting more and more excited as this season progresses as the Dolphins, somehow, someway, have a shot at making the playoffs. Believe me, if I lived closer (budget is tight right now) I would totally be responsible for the planting of at least one tree near the Dolphins Stadium in South Florida if they were to win their next two games and secure the AFC East title.

StubHub’s “Tickets for Trees” initiative for the NFL Playoffs kicks-off a joint effort to restore National Forests across the country. More information can be found on StubHub.com/TicketsForTrees, as well as NationalForests.org. Fans have two ways to participate:

1. Buy an NFL playoff ticket or Super Bowl XLIII ticket on StubHub

2. Donate directly to your team’s National Forest — every dollar plants another tree.

National Forests will be designated to each hosting playoff team on Monday, December 29th.
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/NationalForestFoundation/StubHub.html

Cheers,
RBH

GO FINS!

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3 Permanent link to The MightyLight: One Employee / One Million Lights The MightyLight: One Employee / One Million Lights

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, December 18th, 2008

The MightyLight: One Employee / One Million Lights

I’ve been following a story with great interest on the iWeb (eBay‘s worldwide intranet for employees) regarding Anna Sidana, director of Financial Products at PayPal, and a truly remarkable journey she embarked upon 5 years ago to bring light to families that live without electricity around the world. Her inspiration came from a school that her father started 45 years ago to serve the children in a farming village located in the desert of Rajasthan, India. He started an elementary school with just five children – four boys and one girl.
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0 Permanent link to 2008 Most Trusted Companies for Privacy Award: eBay is #1 Internet Company; #2 Overall 2008 Most Trusted Companies for Privacy Award: eBay is #1 Internet Company; #2 Overall

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Monday, December 15th, 2008

2008 Most Trusted Companies for Privacy Award: eBay is #1 Internet Company; #2 Overall

Privacy and information management research firm Ponemon Institute along with Internet privacy leader TRUSTe, have announced the results of their fifth annual survey of Most Trusted Companies for Privacy** and eBay is ranked second overall, behind only American Express (#1 for the fourth year in a row) and ranked first among Internet companies. The study asked 6,500 people to name the 5 companies they trusted the most and the 5 companies they trusted the least (the group of consumers was weighted by gender, age and household income to match the US census). A total of 706 companies were named by consumers; 211 made the final list of most trusted companies.
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1 Permanent link to Another resource to help with Consumer Safety: GoodGuide.com Beta Another resource to help with Consumer Safety: GoodGuide.com Beta

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Another resource to help with Consumer Safety: GoodGuide.com Beta

While I was looking into the CPSC for my interview with Scott Wolfson, I came across a new online service. I haven’t had a chance to properly kick the tires on it yet but it is a relatively new site currently in Beta called GoodGuide.com. Based in San Francisco, GoodGuide is a free Web site that evaluates the safety of more than 65,000 toys, personal care and household products. They posted a holiday guide to safe toys this week on their blog.

From their website:
GoodGuide™ strives to provide the world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of products and companies. GoodGuide’s mission is to help you find safe, healthy, and green products that are better for you and the planet. From our origins as a UC Berkeley research project, GoodGuide has developed into a totally independent “For-Benefit” company. We are committed to providing the information you need to make better decisions, and to ultimately shifting the balance of information and power in the marketplace.

Like I said, it’s new and it’s in Beta but the GoodGuide looks like another resource worth taking advantage of. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle this morning, GoodGuide will be available on iPhones as well as cell phones that can handle text messages. Will keep an eye out for that too.

Cheers,
RBH

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3 Permanent link to eBay Bans Deadly Products from Site; Works Closely With Consumer Product Safety Commission eBay Bans Deadly Products from Site; Works Closely With Consumer Product Safety Commission

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, December 11th, 2008

eBay Bans Deadly Products from Site; Works Closely With Consumer Product Safety Commission

It’s no secret that I’ve made online trust & safety a key topic of discussion here on Ink recently going so far as to enlist the contributions of eBay’s Online Safety Advisor, Rich LaMagna, to weigh in from time to time on policies and best practices. With that in mind, when I learned that we assisted in enforcing the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) recall of Simplicity bassinets and Magnetix toys, I wanted to learn more.

I was fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Scott Wolfson of the CPSC to find out more about the recent recalls and how online consumers can keep up to speed on product recalls and consumer safety. (More …)

11 Permanent link to eBay Account Guard to be discontinued; enhanced protection offered by IE7 and Firefox3 eBay Account Guard to be discontinued; enhanced protection offered by IE7 and Firefox3

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

eBay Account Guard to be discontinued; enhanced protection offered by IE7 and Firefox3

Hi Everyone,
As we continue in the online services industry to improve our tools and technology designed to create a safer online experience, eBay has been working with industry partners such as Internet Explorer and Firefox3 to identify phishing and other potentially risky sites. Although we originally developed filtering technology for the Account Guard feature of the eBay Toolbar, that same technology is now available in the very popular Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and Firefox3 browsers. (More …)

6 Permanent link to Price Fixing Faces Tough Opposition in Washington D.C. Price Fixing Faces Tough Opposition in Washington D.C.

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Friday, December 5th, 2008

Price Fixing Faces Tough Opposition in Washington D.C.

For those of you unable to follow my live Twitter feed from the press conference yesterday morning (granted, for those of you on the West coast I started at 5am), I attempted to capture a lot of the sentiment coming out of an event featuring retailers, consumer advocates and government representatives who promised a hearing in the New Year and a re-introduced, two-page bill to ban RPM or “price-fixing.” This would overturn the Leegin Supreme Court decision of 2007 (see my previous post for background). (More …)

10 Permanent link to eBay Ink in Washington D.C. for AAI Press Conference eBay Ink in Washington D.C. for AAI Press Conference

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

eBay Ink in Washington D.C. for AAI Press Conference

Antitrust experts from the government, legal and academic communities are joining retailers and consumer advocates in Washington, D.C. on Thursday to discuss the anti-consumer effect that newly legal price-fixing, also known as ‘retail price maintenance’ (RPM), has had on the cost of consumer products.

From 1911 to 2007, antitrust law prohibited manufacturers from punishing retailers for selling at discounted prices. However, last year’s Leegin Supreme Court ruling overturned that law. On Thursday, retailers and consumer advocates, including eBay and the Consumer Federation of America will provide an outline of how the Leegin Supreme Court case has affected retailers and consumers. Policymakers and policy experts including Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour will discuss possible courses of action to address the negative impact of price fixing.
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Posts From: December, 2008

IFAW Applauds eBay for Global Ivory Ban; An Interview with Barbara Cartwright, IFAW Campaign Manager

Microsoft IE Security Update

StubHub Launches “Tickets for Trees” for the NFL Playoffs

The MightyLight: One Employee / One Million Lights

2008 Most Trusted Companies for Privacy Award: eBay is #1 Internet Company; #2 Overall

Another resource to help with Consumer Safety: GoodGuide.com Beta

eBay Bans Deadly Products from Site; Works Closely With Consumer Product Safety Commission

Price Fixing Faces Tough Opposition in Washington D.C.

eBay Ink in Washington D.C. for AAI Press Conference

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