eBay Identity Thefts Raise Fears

A sinister incident in which confidential information of 1,200 eBay users was posted on a discussion forum is raising questions about the security of the world's biggest online marketplace. PC World reports that a person eBay called "a malicious fraudster" posted the personal data, visible for an hour on Tuesday before eBay shut the forum down.

EBay claims the fraudster did not breach security systems. "EBay really needs to address this publicly at some point and say where the leak came from," said one regular seller. A leading computer security expert agrees. "EBay has to thoroughly and comprehensively investigate this, keep people advised of what it finds and take corrective actions." (More eBay stories.)