Stolen U.S. Military Materiel Brokered on eBay, Craigslist

Numerous defense-related items "for sale to the highest bidder"

Military hardware, weapons and componants are being brokered on Craigslist and eBay, according to report posted on the Wired.com today.

"Night-vision goggles, armor vests, F-14 fighter components that could only be used by Iran" are some of the sensitive military items from the U.S. arsenal that have turned up for sale online, according to the story, posted on Wire's Danger Room section.

The story cites an audit by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which is detailed in a report called "Internet Sales: Undercover Purchases on eBay and Craigslist Reveal a Market for Sensitive and Stolen U.S. Military Items."

Here is an excerpt:

~~ We found numerous defense-related items for sale to the highest bidder on eBay and Craigslist from January 2007 through March 2008. A review of eBay and Craigslist policies and procedures determined that, although these Web sites have taken steps to regulate their user communities and define items that are prohibited from sale, there are few safeguards to prevent sensitive and stolen defense-related items from being sold to either domestic or foreign users of these sites. During the period of our investigation, undercover investigators purchased a dozen sensitive items to demonstrate how easy it was to obtain them. The items were shipped to us "no questions asked."...Many of the sensitive items we purchased could have been used directly against our troops and allies, or reverse-engineered to develop countermeasures or equivalent technology. ~~

We visited eBay to see if the company had posted anything in response to this report. The only thing we could find on eBay's Government Relations section is a story called "What's New: eBay Sellers Make an Impact in Washington."

We probably don't need to tell you that the eBay seller's "impact" discussed in the post and the "impact" cited in the GAO report are two very different things. To be fair, the company may have responded elsehwere on the site and it got by us, just like some F-14 fighter parts got by them.

(F-14 on carrier flight deck photo from Milavia.net)