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| Meet the Team |
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People often ask what the Trust & Safety team do to keep eBay safe, so we thought we'd go straight to the top to get the low-down.
Garreth Griffith, Head of Trust & Safety in the UK and Ireland, gives us the inside track on what he and his team spend their time on.
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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
- How long have you been Head of Trust & Safety for the UK & IE?
Three years, having worked in the eBay UK Category Management team for 18 months prior to that.
- What does your role entail?
Doing everything in my power to ensure the eBay Community are protected from the potential pitfalls associated with trading online. In any trading environment on the internet or in the real world, some people will try to exploit others' trust or lack of awareness. I help empower our Community to prevent them from being exploited.
My team and I work with multiple different groups of experts, externally and internally, to achieve this goal. These groups include global law enforcement, government, brand owners, journalists, industry partners as well as internal departments: marketing & public relations, product development, legal, customer support and many more.
We develop processes, policies and tools to protect our Community, and we make sure our buyers and sellers are aware of these processes and products.
- What makes you get out of bed each day?
Knowing that the work of my team protects thousands of innocent, good eBay traders every day and assists law enforcement in putting fraudsters behind bars.
- What's on your plate at the moment?
We have so many great projects going on at the moment (you can find more details here) which directly address many of the challenges our Community face. I am also spending a lot of time with the global Trust & Safety leaders working on the next round of projects designed to create an even safer eBay experience. I think one of our biggest challenges is getting people to take the time to understand how to be safe. When people want to drive, they first have to take a test. They learn about brakes, seatbelts, and safe driving speeds before they are let loose behind a wheel. The internet (and eBay) are less difficult, but nevertheless require some basic understanding prior to "driving". We provide this basic training in the form of simple tips in our newly redesigned Safety Centre and are continually developing better ways to convince people to take the time to learn.
- We've seen the recent announcements about the change in emphasis towards Trust & Safety at eBay - what will this mean in practice?
This is such a good message for our Community. It means that we will increase our already significant investment (don't forget we already spend millions every year on Trust & Safety and have more than 2,000 people working on this area) and create even safer buying and selling experiences on eBay. We don't accept that the nature of our website prevents us from taking some control over the safety of our users, though to do this effectively, we need support from our Community in the form of awareness and safe behaviour. You will hear more from us from now on, you will be informed of upcoming improvements, you will have a chance to feed back and help us understand your concerns.
Overall, you will have a better understanding of how to trade safely on eBay, by knowing what steps to follow and what tools and processes we provide to assist you along the way. As a direct result, you will feel safer on eBay and will have even more fun buying and selling.
- Aren't you fighting a losing battle? Do you think you will win?
This is like saying towns should close down their high streets because there are pickpockets out and about. Or never leaving your house because your bag might be stolen. These are not losing battles because people can learn to keep their valuables tucked away and avoid dark alleys, whilst councils and the police minimise the number of bad guys walking the streets. It is exactly the same on eBay - we are a virtual high street and we keep it clean using the latest protective technologies, working with global police forces, allowing our Community to help us keep the bad guys out, and teaching our visitors how to adopt safe behaviour - much like avoiding dark virtual alleys. Can we get even better at this? Certainly, there is always room for improvement, and as the bad guys become more sophisticated, we need to stay one step ahead. Our increased focus on Trust & Safety in 2007 will ensure we are constantly improving.
- What's the best thing about your job?
My answer is the same as number 3 above. In addition, it is the great Community members I work with who inspire me with their passion for this marketplace. They truly believe in eBay and so do I. We have so much to offer so many people - fun, convenience, safety, variety, an income, bargains, and much more. I want eBay to be around for my kids and my grandkids and will do whatever I can to help that happen.
- What's the worst thing about your job?
Undoubtedly, hearing from people who have had a bad experience on eBay. It makes me feel like I have failed them.
- What experience/qualifications do you need to have to work in the Trust & Safety team at eBay?
Actually it varies by area within Trust & Safety. Our teams include ex-Police officers, lawyers, data analysts, marketers, computer programmers, strategic consultants, product developers, entrepreneurs, and many more. My own background is more commercial, I have experience in business development, customer relationship management, category development, and project management, amongst other things. This helps me work with multiple different teams to understand our customers' needs and develop appropriate solutions for those needs. Just about any background will fit in Trust & Safety.
- How would your parents/wife/children describe you?
To avoid guessing, I asked them! The general response can be summarized as: passionate, trustworthy (they really said that, I didn't make it up!), down to earth, family-oriented, responsible, fun, positive (glass is half full), and understanding. I'm glad I asked.
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