{
  "id": 18851,
  "title": "eBay pays $46M to journalists it targeted in bizarre harassment campaign",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/28/ebay-pays-46m-to-journalists-it-targeted-in-bizarre-harassment",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-07-28T21:02:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica Policy",
    "slug": "ars-technica-policy",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-execs-pay-56m-to-settle-bloody-pig-mask-harassment-case/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "eBay and three ex-employees have reached a deal worth nearly $56 million to settle a bizarre campaign of cyberstalking and harassment against two journalists, Ina and David Steiner, in 2019. The settlement, which includes $55.7 million in compensation and charitable commitments, was announced following guilty pleas and prison terms for the former eBay staff members responsible for the attacks. The Steiner couple, who run the news website EcommerceBytes, received a series of disturbing deliveries, including live cockroaches, a funeral wreath, a book on surviving a spouse's death, and a bloody pig mask, as well as threatening emails and tweets. Police even uncovered an attempt to install a GPS tracker on the Steiners' car. The case ended with the victims officially settling their lawsuit against eBay and its former executives.",
  "summary": "eBay sent bloody pig mask and other macabre deliveries to journalists' home.",
  "key_points": [
    "eBay settles $46M lawsuit with Steiner journalists",
    "$55.7M compensation for harassment campaign",
    "Former execs plead guilty, serve prison time"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}