In a crackdown on crime-facilitating gadgets, four big-time online shopping giants have clamped down on selling illegal license plate covers in California. This legal push came after City Attorney David Chiu got tough with cease and desist letters, ensuring Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart got the message loud and clear. After the legal threat, these e-commerce behemoths didn't just comply. They collaborated with the City Attorney to scrub these sketchy products off their sites.

"The only reason someone would put a cover like this on their license plate is to get away with a crime," City Attorney Chiu was valiantly fighting for public safety, according to a statement on the San Francisco City Attorney's Office's website. The office vows to keep their digital eyes peeled for outlawed merch that might slip through the cracks.

In a nod to the collaboration, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott chimed in, thanking Chiu for teaming up in the battle against crime. These seemingly innocent car accessories have been tools for all sorts of bad deeds, from smash-and-grab thefts to ghosting past traffic cams. They pop up in a few shady styles—electronic models that disappear on command, dimmed covers that are tough to read, and even vinyl wraps that turn legit plates into fakes.

Under California law, it's a big no-no to hawk any product designed to make a plate unreadable by the naked eye or electronic surveillance. Responding to November's cease and desist letters, Amazon dropped the hammer on electronic and vinyl covers from North America entirely while only shipping the smoked and tinted ones to places outside of California. Walmart followed suit, banning electronic covers and slapping a similar shipping ban on the others. Etsy and eBay, not wanting to play the villain, halted the sales of these dodgy covers nationwide, according to Mike Carson, eBay’s Senior Director of Regulatory Policy, in their commitment to clean up their listings, told the San Francisco City Attorney’s office.

Although the digital storefronts might still get the occasional rogue listing of a dubious cover, the efforts of these online retailers, in tandem with the City Attorney's diligence, have made it much harder to find these criminal accessories online. Chiu sent out another round of letters to these companies, giving a virtual pat on the back for the clampdown and stressing the need to keep the watch going strong. All those letters are posted for the public eye on the City Attorney's Office's official site.