Federal agents traced a series of anonymous threats, grotesque deliveries and coordinated online harassment back to employees of eBay, turning what first appeared to be random intimidation into a full-blown corporate crime investigation.
Channel 4 has acquired Whatever It Takes: Inside the eBay Scandal, a feature documentary examining the harassment and corporate espionage scandal tied to eBay.
The film follows David and Ina Steiner, the couple behind an e-commerce blog who became targets of a calculated stalking campaign. Over weeks, they received disturbing items at their home, including a bloody pig mask, live cockroaches and funeral wreaths, alongside threatening messages designed to silence and intimidate them.
An FBI investigation ultimately revealed that the campaign had been orchestrated by the employees. The civil lawsuit, Steiner v. eBay et al, was headed toward trial before the parties reached a settlement ahead of court proceedings.
The documentary is distributed internationally by Fremantle, with broadcasters such as ZDF in Germany, ORF in Austria and Al Jazeera in the Middle East also acquiring the project.
Directed by Jenny Carchman, the film explores how corporate power can be weaponized against private individuals in the digital era.
Source: Episode Magazine
