EBay Boosts Fraud Protection

EBay is developing a new search system to help users find products on its online marketplace and a new fraud protection program for its PayPal online payment unit, company President and Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman said Wednesday.

The new product search system, called Magellan, is being tested now and is the company's "next generation search capability," Whitman said during a conference call for eBay's second-quarter financial results.

"Finding is incredibly important on eBay. The more effective we can make finding, the higher the [sales] conversion rates and the more robust the marketplace is for buyers and sellers," she said.

Magellan Navigates

The company is developing Magellan because the number of products listed on eBay continues to grow and the company wants to make it easier for buyers to find what they are looking for, eBay spokesperson Hani Durzy said in an interview after the conference call.

"It's a new way of shopping and finding on eBay," he said, adding that the company will probably launch Magellan "sometime within the next few quarters."

Users can find out more about Magellan and test it by going to an open trial site.

Europe Gets New Armor

Meanwhile, in August eBay will launch a new fraud protection program in its PayPal unit in Germany to test its effectiveness. Based on the results, the company will decide when and where else it offers the program, Whitman said.

It's "a significant step up in PayPal buyer protection," she said. The online payment service is a favorite target of phishers and others trying to hoax users into revealing access information.

A call to PayPal seeking additional comment on this program wasn't immediately returned.