09-23-2008, 09:22 AM
eBay Ink Wrote:There are some pointed evaluations being made this afternoon regarding three bills currently being reviewed today by the House Judiciary Committees subcommittee on crime, terrorism, and homeland security. First, an interesting blog post by New York Times Brad Stone was followed up by an even more alarming post over on the NetChoice blog regarding what this could mean for ecommerce and independent sellers.
Apparently, Joe LaRocca, a mouthpiece for large retailers like Wal-Mart and Target (his official title is Vice President of Loss Prevention for the NRF), claimed that selling on the Internet is so addictive, people are getting hooked and satisfying their addiction by entering a life of organized Internet crime; pretty much equating eBay sellers to drug-addicted criminals.
full article: http://ebayinkblog.com/2008/09/22/online...net-crime/
NRF press release Wrote:"The Internet seems to be contributing to the creation of a brand new type of retail thief people who have never stolen before but are lured in by the convenience and anonymity of the Internet," NRF Vice President for Loss Prevention Joseph LaRocca said. "Thieves often tell the same disturbing story: they begin legitimately selling product on eBay and then become hooked by its addictive qualities, the anonymity it provides and the ease with which they gain exposure to millions of customers. When they run out of legitimate merchandise, they begin to steal intermittently, many times for the first time in their life, so they can continue selling online. The thefts then begin to spiral out of control and before they know it they quit their jobs, are recruiting accomplices and are crossing states lines to steal, all so they can support and perpetuate their online selling habit."
full press release: http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=572
NYT Wrote:Does the freedom of selling on the Web lure otherwise law-abiding citizens into an addictive world of organized Internet crime?...
full article: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/22...ashington/