A Campaign of Terror Unveiled
eBay and several former executives have reached a landmark $55.7 million settlement with Massachusetts journalists Ina and David Steiner, bringing an end to a protracted legal battle that exposed a disturbing corporate cyberstalking campaign. The couple, who operate the independent newsletter EcommerceBytes, were subjected to a campaign of harassment and intimidation in 2019 after publishing articles critical of the e-commerce giant.
The harassment orchestrated by former eBay employees included a barrage of disturbing deliveries to the Steiners' home in Natick, Massachusetts. These unsettling packages contained items such as a bloody pig mask, live spiders, cockroaches, fly larvae, a funeral wreath, and a book on surviving the death of a spouse. Beyond the physical deliveries, the campaign extended to online threats, pornographic magazines sent to their neighbors, and their home being listed on Craigslist as a destination for "singles, couples and swingers." The severity of the harassment led the Steiners to sleep in separate rooms, fearing a home invasion.