CassandrichFeb 26

PSA: The Amazon wishlist doxing threat is much greater and more immediate than folks might realize. Attack works like this:

Stalker who wants your address opens an Amazon seller account and lists themselves as a third party seller for any item on your public wishlist. Then, they order the item from themselves as a gift for you. Bam, they have your address.

In particular, attack does not depend on an existing third party seller having poor PII handling hygiene, like the articles have implied.

Show threadJohan Pelck OlsenFeb 26
@dalias I don’t understand why anyone would ever want a public wishlist, even disregarding stalkers and the like. Seriously, how is it of public interest that you’d like a new bathrobe?
Show threadCassandrich
@jpkolsen It's a way for fans to compensate people whose work they appreciate who can't easily take payment. AIUI one big place this comes up, and where doxing is a huge threat, is sex work. But really for anyone doing things where there's a parasocial relationship with an audience the same applies.
Feb 26 at 9:37pmWeb
Show threadJohan Pelck OlsenFeb 26
@dalias so, an author you like writes a book and you post it on your wishlist as a type of micro-advertisement, is that it? I feel like the world is getting weirder quicker than I’m comfortable with….
Show threadCassandrichFeb 26
@jpkolsen No, more like a bunch of people watch your live streaming and want to thank you for providing them entertainment, so you have a public wishlist of things they can buy for you as part of the parasocial relationship.