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Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

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Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#141

Post by amelius »

dizzystar wrote: post #98
edoo wrote: post #12

When I started selling the first gadget I ever made on Amazon I was so excited and was only getting a couple sales a month. If you were one of my customers I looked at your house, judged your grass, found you on LinkedIn and Facebook, Instagram, mortgages, mugshots, everything lol. The sellers also get your full name and address even on fulfilled by Amazon. If you have been on the net long enough this will creep you…

For anyone who is curious why a seller gets this much information, you have to be able to confirm the shipping address is correct. Google Maps can quicken this process. Yes, this process is automated and usually works, however, the systems don't know everything, and you have to manually override the error to ship the product. With that said, I think it's grossly irresponsible to look people up on all their social med…

Therefore, postal services should offer the possibility of making a "dummy address", so only they know your real address.

Probably won't happen anytime soon, but eventually I think a service like this will exist.

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#142

Post by TeMPOraL »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #129
tdurden wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think it's grossly irresponsible to look people up on all their social media. While I agree with you in one sense, this wouldn't even be an issue if people didn't willingly post their entire lives to social media. I don't understand how one can be too upset about someone looking at data that they themselves decided to make public.

"Their window curtains were open, Officer! I just stood outside, on the grass, with my camera and a news crew."

Curious how time has changed people's perceptions, even though the service itself didn't.

Back when I started using Facebook, it was obvious that you're building a profile to be publicly accessible, i.e. viewable by random strangers, and everything you posted publicly you did with the intent of it being a part of that public profile. It was kind of like blog, but with guaranteed active audience.

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#143

Post by cik »

amelius wrote: post #141
dizzystar wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For anyone who is curious why a seller gets this much information, you have to be able to confirm the shipping address is correct. Google Maps can quicken this process. Yes, this process is automated and usually works, however, the systems don't know everything, and you have to manually override the error to ship the product. With that said, I think it's grossly irresponsible to look people up on all their social med…

Therefore, postal services should offer the possibility of making a "dummy address", so only they know your real address. Probably won't happen anytime soon, but eventually I think a service like this will exist.

Actually Canada Post has that service here - Flex Delivery (https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/personal/receiving/alternat...). Now if only they weren't on strike and would deliver the mail.

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#144

Post by amelius »

cik wrote: post #143
amelius wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Therefore, postal services should offer the possibility of making a "dummy address", so only they know your real address. Probably won't happen anytime soon, but eventually I think a service like this will exist.

Actually Canada Post has that service here - Flex Delivery ( https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/personal/receiving/alternat... ). Now if only they weren't on strike and would deliver the mail.

Almost perfect, but it appears they don't send the package to your home address but instead keep it at the post office.

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#145

Post by superflyguy »

speedplane wrote: post #120
superflyguy wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would anyone care if you had their address, or email address? Why would Amazon be interested in going into details about an email address leak? Outside of a handful of people who get excited by every leak no matter what, nobody cares. It's an email address. You get some more spam maybe? Big deal.

People care because it begs more questions. Why is Amazon leaking email addresses? What part of their system is unsecure? Can we trust Amazon at all?

Presumably because nobody cares about the security of email addresses. The part of their system which handles credit cards hasn't been shown to be compromised, but maybe Gmail's spam filter needs to work a little harder. (I've already spent longer writing this than I spend going through my spam folder each year)

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#146

Post by alttab »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #142
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Their window curtains were open, Officer! I just stood outside, on the grass, with my camera and a news crew."

Curious how time has changed people's perceptions, even though the service itself didn't. Back when I started using Facebook, it was obvious that you're building a profile to be publicly accessible , i.e. viewable by random strangers, and everything you posted publicly you did with the intent of it being a part of that public profile. It was kind of like blog, but with guaranteed active audience.

Funny, because when I started using Facebook it was obvious I was building a profile to be only accessible to direct friends at my school. I could safely post party pictures without worrying who saw them.

The intent has changed vastly over time.

By the time I was a senior, one of my parties got busted before it started because I forgot to lock down the invite.

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#147

Post by cik »

amelius wrote: post #144
cik wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually Canada Post has that service here - Flex Delivery ( https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/personal/receiving/alternat... ). Now if only they weren't on strike and would deliver the mail.

Almost perfect, but it appears they don't send the package to your home address but instead keep it at the post office.

Definitely a trade off. But I'm willing to accept it. It also means that I never have to play the Purolator/Fedex game where I prove I was home and they didn't ring the bell - because of my camera.

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#148

Post by mr_spothawk »

CobrastanJorji wrote: post #110
aidenn0 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

4. the machine that executes the code is ill-defined and will change far before the code you write is retired.

An program written in an ill-defined language being run by a malicious interpreter with an agenda would be a really interesting project in seeing how far you could twist the meaning of the original program.

> run by a malicious interpreter

good grief... I live in this world!

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#149

Post by mr_spothawk »

michaelt wrote: post #123
int_19h wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Better yet, attach a sunset clause to every law, proportional to the number of votes it gets (and maybe unanimously passed = no sunset). Now they'll have to spend some of their time renewing old laws, and if anything is too toxic for the majority to vote for, it goes away.

That would get rid of obsolete laws, but I'm not sure people would enjoy all the side-effects such a law would have, at least in the United States. For example, many more opportunities to cause government shutdowns, and many more must-pass bills that can be loaded with pork.

> loaded with sunset port.

ftfy. and I'd add that being from the US, I'd expect that sunset clauses on all laws would have the effect of giving the legislators something to do other than raise money for reelection.

Re: Amazon admits it exposed customer email addresses, but refuses to give details

#150

Post by amatecha »

robryan wrote: post #84
amatecha wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You only get shipping address, not billing address, right? I have always got my Amazon stuff shipped to a work office address, so hopefully have kept the residential (billing) address from sketchy sellers! heh

Just a billing/customer name but no address. Email communication goes via Amazon so they can cut you off from the customer and also so they can remove email addresses and link, but they can't do much if a seller wants to call up or send promotional material in the package.

Hmm, I see. In the past I ordered what ended up being a scam/"mistake"-priced item on Amazon, and I left negative feedback for the seller seemingly purposely baiting & switching customers by pricing items substantially low, cancelling the order on them, and offering them a store discount if they remove the negative review (this appears to be their long-term MO, as per the countless other reviewers experiencing the same bait & switch). A rep from the respective store actually called me on my cell phone, which is not listed in my shipping address (and is not in any public listings anywhere). Amazon should be more upfront/clear about what information is actually passed to a seller on their marketplace (ignoring manually scouring through EULA/ToS).
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