eBay Faces Potential California Privacy Lawsuits Due To Use Of Third Party Trackers

Liz Morton
Liz Morton


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UPDATE 4-16-25

Levi & Korsinsky, LLP has also opened an investigation into eBay's privacy practices, alleging eBay may be sharing customer private information in violation of California law.

eBay-Privacy Violation - Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
What is this about? eBay may be sharing customer private information in violation of California law. Levi & Korsinsky is preparing arbitration demands on behalf of eBay’s California users who may have been impacted by this improper information sharing. If you are a California resident, are an eBay account holder and visited eBay.com, you may […]

What is this about?
eBay may be sharing customer private information in violation of California law. Levi & Korsinsky is preparing arbitration demands on behalf of eBay’s California users who may have been impacted by this improper information sharing. If you are a California resident, are an eBay account holder and visited eBay.com, you may be entitled to up to $5,000.


Law firm Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP is seeking to represent users whose privacy may have been violated by eBay's usage of third party trackers on their site.

In a notice posted February 21, 2025, the firm says users may qualify for up to $5,000 if they have an account with eBay and visited www.ebay.com within the past year.

eBay - Lantern

We believe eBay may have installed tracking software on its site that secretly collects data on users, such as IP addresses, information entered into forms, items searched for, viewed, or purchased, and other details of user interactions.

This software is likely developed by third-party companies, including Google and Facebook, and is designed to create user profiles for purposes such as tracking across websites and targeting them with advertisements.

We are representing clients in individual arbitration claims against eBay on behalf of users who visited www.ebay.com and may have been tracked by third-party software without their consent. If you have an eBay account and visited the website in the past year, you may be eligible for a claim under California state law, which provides for statutory damages of $5,000 per violation.

The notice goes on to explain

This case is about online privacy. When a person visits a website with an internet browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, many pieces of third-party software are automatically installed on that person’s browser, which promptly begin receiving and sending data to that person’s internet browser.

Some of this software and the data it receives is harmless—indeed, it is necessary—to make the website display and function as the website owners intended. For example, a third-party might install software that tells your browser what the proper images or fonts to display on the website are.

However, some third-party internet software is designed to send and receive information from the users’ browser and their use of the website for other reasons, such as targeting advertisements to the user or tracking the user across different websites that they visit.

When these kinds of third-party software are installed and used without authorization or the user’s knowledge, it may potentially violate certain state privacy laws, like the California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”).

Coincidentally, eBay also just recently released an update to their User Privacy Policies which is slated to go into effect April 21st, with new sections about how data may be used and shared for blockchain technology and AI training and development.

eBay Privacy Policy April 2025: Blockchain & AI Tech Enable Digital Authentication & More
eBay April 2025 Privacy Policy update hints at new Blockchain technology, AI integrations, digital wallets & authenticity certificates coming soon!

While the information page about this potential lawsuit does not specify where you must be located, several readers who have filed out the form say they believe this may be for California residents only.

Are you concerned about how eBay and/or third parties they use for ads and other services are handling your personal data? Let us know in the comments below!

eBayLegal

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Liz Morton is a 17 year ecommerce pro turned indie investigative journalist providing ad-free deep dives on eBay, Amazon, Etsy & more, championing sellers & advocating for corporate accountability.


Recent Comments
Avatar PlaceholderJaeLynn13 hours ago
I've had this happen a few times, and it confused me. One seller alleged that they had to use Amazon's services to make sure I got my item in time. I recently bought something simple, and the seller made a mistake. They'd sent me 3 different messages, one of them too early, telling me they hoped my item arrived in perfect condition. The next day, the item was marked as shipped, and I got an official Ebay shipping email. The seller was using direct messages to give me item updates. If I wanted Amazon, I'd have used them myself! lol
Avatar Placeholderlessthanthreerecords22 hours ago
Happening to me too. On my active listings page (with the full list) it looks fine, but when I click on them, many have the random characters. I reported it, and that's when one glitch led to another! As I was typing the message after clicking the "?", letters were repeatedly not coming up (usually one or two at the end of a word). I was finally able to get the message entered, but how tedious!
Avatar Placeholderbritishsoeedw-0Yesterday
I'm having the same problem, Vat has ben added to my listings and sales have literally stopped.