Take Her Down: The eBay Stalking Scandal

What happens when one of the world's largest corporations decides its critics have become the enemy? In August 2019, David and Ina Steiner, publishers of the independent news site EcommerceBytes, found themselves at the center of a nightmare. Anonymous threats escalated into doxxing, harassment, and disturbing package deliveries. Strange cars began circling their quiet Massachusetts neighborhood, and someone appeared to be watching their every move. The truth was even stranger than they imagined.

Federal investigators would eventually uncover a coordinated cyberstalking campaign carried out by members of eBay's own Global Safety and Security division. What began with three words, "Take her down", would lead to cross-country surveillance, a failed GPS tracking plot, seven guilty pleas, criminal charges against eBay itself, and a $55.7 million civil settlement.

In this episode, we unpack one of the most bizarre corporate scandals in modern history, exploring not only what happened, but how experienced security professionals gradually normalized behavior that escalated from executive frustration to federal crimes. Through the lenses of psychology and sociology, they examine obedience to authority, groupthink, moral disengagement, and the dangerous consequences of organizational loyalty unchecked by ethics. Because sometimes the most terrifying stalker isn't a stranger in the shadows, it's a corporation hiding in plain sight.