EBay asking for national insurance number

[nevakonaza]

I understand why they're doing this because of the new laws with them having to report to HMRC etc.

The issue and concern is, What IF eBay was to be compromised and this data leaked...NI is pretty important information and a NI number leak can lead to all sorts of issues for its users.

Hackers would have a field day with NI numbers.

Was this even taken into consideration when been implemented?

Obviously the government/HMRC wouldn't care...they only care about getting their tax.

Have to question these things!

[jonatjonatjonat]

ebay state...

We protect your personal data through leading edge technical and organisational security measures to minimise risks associated with data loss, misuse, unauthorised access and unauthorised disclosure and alteration. To this end we use firewalls and data encryption, for example, as well as physical access restrictions for our data centres and authorisation controls for data access. We also recommend you enable 2-step verification on your eBay account. We’ll give you ongoing visibility into any information we collect and the ability to easily update your preferences at any time. You can find further information on our data security in our User Privacy Notice.

As well as that, HMRC themselves have been the subject of attacks - so ebay is not some lone wolf who don't prioritise security.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgnz3r2m7eo

That being said - if you don't feel comfortable giving ebay your NI number - don't sell on ebay.