eBay has reached a $56 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit brought by a Massachusetts couple, David and Ina Steiner, who were the targets of a systematic harassment campaign orchestrated by former company executives. The couple, who published a newsletter called EcommerceBytes, alleged that in 2019, eBay employees engaged in a series of disturbing actions to silence their criticism of the company. These actions included sending threatening items to the couple’s home, such as live insects, a funeral wreath, and a pig mask, as well as cyberstalking and harassment via social media.

While eBay has publicly apologized and characterized the actions as "wrong and reprehensible," the two news outlets differ in their characterization of the event's scope. The BBC reports the settlement as a resolution to a legal case involving "unprecedented" harassment, focusing on the corporate accountability aspect. Wired frames the event more aggressively, describing the company's actions as an "unhinged harassment campaign" and emphasizing the long duration of the abuse. Both sources agree that the harassment was carried out by former employees and contractors, and that the company has since taken steps to distance itself from the individuals responsible, several of whom faced criminal charges.