US Government Report: eBay and Craigslist Are Becoming Arms Bazaars

[mandy]

35 page report from the US Government's GAO:

Undercover Purchases on eBay and Craigslist Reveal a Market for Sensitive and Stolen U.S. Military Items

full report (.pdf): http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08644t.pdf

GAO found numerous defense-related items for sale to the highest bidder on eBay and Craigslist. A review of policies and procedures for these Web sites determined that there are few safeguards to prevent the sale of sensitive and stolen defense-related items using the sites. During the period of investigation, GAO undercover investigators purchased a dozen sensitive items on eBay and Craigslist to demonstrate how easy it was to obtain them. Many of these items were stolen from the U.S. military. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), it considers the sensitive items GAO purchased to be on the U.S. Munitions List, meaning that there are restrictions on their overseas sales. However, if investigators had been members of the general public, there is a risk that they could have illegally resold these items to an international broker or transferred them overseas.
Examples of Sensitive Items Purchased by Undercover Investigators
No.
Item
Web site
Notes
1
F-14 antenna
eBay
F-14 components are in demand by Iran, the only country with operating F-14s
Winning bidders on other auctions held by the seller were located in countries such as Bulgaria, China (Hong Kong), and Russia
2
Nuclear biological chemical gear
Craigslist
Could be reverse engineered to develop countermeasures or produce equivalent technology
Stolen military property
3
Enhanced small arms protective inserts
eBay
Body armor plates manufactured in June 2007 and currently in use by troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
Winning eBay bidders on other body armor items offered by this seller included individuals in China (Hong Kong), Taiwan, and Singapore
Stolen from U.S. military or manufacturer

TheRegister on the report:

American government investigators believe that eBay and Craigslist are becoming international arms bazaars, facilitating the sale of "sensitive and stolen US military items" to the agents of sinister foreign powers - or even (gasp) terrorists. However, they have produced very little evidence to back this up...

full article: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/13/...s_bazaars/