I would have gotten an answer to this question from EBay's Ramirez if she'd favored me with a phone call. But EBay, like most other Silicon Valley companies, doesn't seem to think actual conversations are worth its time.
So I asked Ramirez by email. She didn't reply.
Then there's the new provision on the rights of EBay and its cronies to contact users. It says:
"You authorize EBay, its affiliates, agents and independent contractors to contact you at ... any telephone number at which we reasonably believe we can reach you, using any means of communication, including, but not limited to, calls or text messages using an automatic telephone dialing system and/or prerecorded messages, even if you incur charges for receiving such communications."
Alfred Esser, 72, of Solana Beach, has been an EBay user for about 15 years, typically buying or selling something about once a month. He saw that reach-out-and-touch-someone provision and got worried.
"Affiliates? Agents? Independent contractors?" he asked. "Who are these people? Why do they have such a right to contact me? What about my privacy?"
Good question.
"This is pretty outrageous," said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego. "You could be bombarded with text messages on a cellphone number you never even gave them, and you'd have no right to stop them."
He added: "I can't imagine why they're attaching such great importance to being able to reach the consumer."
I asked EBay's Ramirez what was up with this in-your-face contract language.
She said only that "EBay does not share or market its users' phone numbers with parties outside of EBay for marketing purposes without the user's explicit consent," which didn't really answer the question at all.
All I know is that unless you send in that letter, don't even think of filing a lawsuit over this.
David Lazarus' column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
