AOL and EBAY exchanging information???

[ebayaintstupid]

I often use AOL when I use EBAY. AOL shows a generic IP address, so it works.

But I just saw something the other day that disturbed me and nothing I do appears to be able to prevent it.

When I click register on EBAY, it shows my AOL email address. I have multiple EBAY accounts and am concerned that they could link them all up if they can ask for my AOL identity that easily.

I have not had a problem yet, but I am concerned. I have blocked cookies from AOL, I have blocked all cookies except EBAY in fact, and it still shows my AOL email address in the registration window. How is EBAY getting this? They do mention in the user agreement that AOL is a partner site and that they exchange information with them.

Is there a way to prevent EBAY from accessing my AOL information?\

[georgesmith]

You sure you don't have some sort of auto fill in form registration. I don't see anything dangerous about what happened to you.

[ebayaintstupid]

I have no autofill or anything set anywhere I know of. What are you talking about? Where would such a setting be?

The dangerous part from my perspective is account association. If they can request AOL information while I am using EBAY and I use it under multiple accounts, it stands to reason they could use that information to connect the accounts to each other.

I have a friend that recently got nailed for shill bidding. All her accounts were connected and she uses AOL and religiously deletes all her cookies. So, I am thinking there is a strong possibility that they link accounts using AOL information.

[georgesmith]

Well the account I am currently using has been almost open 60 days and quite a few high priced auctions have closed. No problems. I don't know where such a setting would be, but it sure does sound like auto fill in to me.

[billbradsky]

same thing happened to me today- I am afraid now

[ebayaintstupid]

It hasn't caused me any problems yet, but just the fact they can grab my AOL email address is scary. Makes you wonder what other information they can grab and how they use it.

If anyone knows a way around this, PLEASE POST IT!!

[ebayaintstupid]

This is in EBAY's help regarding registration:

Important: If you use AOL for your email, you will need to first create a second AOL account, and use this AOL email for your second eBay member account. When you create a second eBay account, verify that you are logged into your second AOL account, not the previous AOL account. The email address on the eBay Registration form is automatically completed from the AOL account and cannot be changed. Your first AOL account will be associated with your first eBay account.

[georgesmith]

Regardless when you setup many aol accounts and ebay accounts its always good to have separate aol installations that are marked for each eBay account. Then you don't have to worry about cookies etc.

[ebayaintstupid]

How do you do that? If you have some step by step instructions somewhere, that would be great. Thank you.

[bollock2ebay]

Is the 2nd ebay account linked to the aol email address only during the registration process as it would seem from the info ebay give? If so if you register the 2nd account on another computer and then use it on your existing computer and aol account. Or can you change your main aol email address to something different that wont be recognised?

[georgesmith]

ebayaintstupid, I just load up the aol install file and I just install a new installation, so in my applications I have multiple aol icons that are all separate from each other. Im not sure how it would work on windows, but I figure it would be the same as long as you select the right option you can do it. Not too many choices so I think you can figure it out pretty quickly.

[ebayaintstupid]

but under Windows, they do not allow me to create new screen names and they do not allow me to make more than one installation that works, at least not from what I am seeing.

The screen name stuff throws errors all over the place when I try to add a new screen name.

And when I try to install a new version, it overrides the existing version (although it places it in a new directory).

The fact that AOL will no longer let me create new screen names is in and of itself peculiar.

Are you a paying EBAY customer or just using the service free over broadband?

[ebayaintstupid]

Whoops. Sorry.

[exebayer]

Hi,

To avoid the cookies stuff, I wrote a small program that delete the cookies, then launch either IE or AOL depends on your setting. No installation needed, simply run the exe. download link below

Aspkin, you can download and post a download link here in this forum too, when you get there, it makes you wait like 10 seconds before the download link appears oh well, it's a free upload site

browser launcher.zip: browser launcher : browser launcher

exebayer

[exebayer]

actually, it makes you wait 30 seconds for the download link ;

exebayer

[georgesmith]

Why is it an exe?

To you microsoft users, I would think before downloading that file

[exebayer]

Originally Posted by georgesmith

Why is it an exe?

To you microsoft users, I would think before downloading that file

How else do you run a program? all programs are exe or whatever you call them. I think you probably run quite a few setup.exe already!

oh well, it's up to you, I understand your concerns though.

exebayer

[georgesmith]

Well im on mac lol so no exe's here.

What makes me hesitant about your exe is because Firefox can already delete everything automatically, so I don't really see the reason why there needs to be a utility for IE. I don't think any of us would use IE when Firefox can do more and is better.

[exebayer]

Originally Posted by georgesmith

Well im on mac lol so no exe's here.

What makes me hesitant about your exe is because Firefox can already delete everything automatically, so I don't really see the reason why there needs to be a utility for IE. I don't think any of us would use IE when Firefox can do more and is better.

I hear you, though mac don't call them exe, they are executable files too!
Unfortunately, AOL uses IE! I'm making this exe for AOL.

I'm using firefox, but I also use AOL for proxy to hide my IP.

exebayer.

[georgesmith]

Originally Posted by exebayer

I hear you, though mac don't call them exe, they are executable files too!
Unfortunately, AOL uses IE! I'm making this exe for AOL.

I'm using firefox, but I also use AOL for proxy to hide my IP.

exebayer.

I just launch aol, connect to the aol network, then load up firefox and im hidden

[exebayer]

Originally Posted by georgesmith

I just launch aol, connect to the aol network, then load up firefox and im hidden

So AOL is your isp? I use a local isp and only use AOL as a guess account. Once I launch AOL I can only use AOL browser for hidden IP, if I launch my firefox and then type whatismyip.com it shows my real ip. Maybe there's something that I'm missing.

exebayer

[georgesmith]

no I connect to aol using the client (existing internet connection).
I connect to aol using my airport therefore every browser on my computer is automatically connected through aol's proxy. The great thing about airport is the aol client connects through it so anything I do online will be through aol.