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U.S. Postal Service To Develop 'Intelligent Mail'

Posted by Hemos on from the tracking-my-santa-claus-letters dept.

securitas writes "The President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service's final report (PDF) has recommended that the USPS and the Department of Homeland Security develop sender identification technology for all U.S. mail. The commission said Intelligent Mail could bolster security and let consumers track the progress of all mail they send, which has been a top consumer demand in surveys. The report released July 31 reads, "Each piece of Intelligent Mail will carry a unique, machine-readable barcode (or other indicia) that will identify, at a minimum, the sender, the destination, and the class of mail... Intelligent Mail will allow the real-time tracking of individual mail pieces." Privacy advocates like the EFF and Center for Democracy & Technology are understandably concerned. The Final Recommendations are available in PDF format. More at Direct Marketers News and pro-privacy/civil liberties magazine Counterpunch." Jamie adds: This confuses me, because I read a news story in late 2001 which matter-of-factly explained that authorities would be contacting recipients of letters which went through a particular post office around the same time as an anthrax envelope. The implication, which I haven't seen any discussion of then or since, is that records are kept of every letter's travels through every post office. Anyone know anything about that? Update: mec does.

7 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. Now all they need are by drgroove · · Score: 2, Funny

    intelligent Post Office Employees...

    1. Re:Now all they need are by Politburo · · Score: 2, Funny

      I once wrote "No Such Addressee: Return to Sender" on an object.

      The postman said "You shouldn't write No Such Address, this Address exists, you live here!"

      I tried to explain that I wrote "addressee" and that the *person* didn't live here. That didn't work so I apologized for my 'error' and went on my way.

    2. Re:Now all they need are by JudgeDredd · · Score: 2, Funny

      I went to my post office the other day. I wanted to get a mailbox. First, they told me that they'll send a registered letter to my home address, and that I'll have to bring it back to the post office to prove that I did not give them a fake home address.

      Dude, you're shopping at the wrong place. Home Depot has a very nice mailbox for only $6.99 and no ID is required!

  2. In other news... by V_drive · · Score: 5, Funny

    The stamp is now $2.47

    Make sure to go out and buy special $2.10 stamps to use with your existing $0.37 ones.

    --
    char *mySig;
  3. Bad Pun.. by AnimeRulez · · Score: 1, Funny

    Can we say this new technology Pushes the Envelop?

  4. Re:RFID by PHoliday · · Score: 2, Funny

    "in the future" being the key phrase in the above post...

    Years ago it was "too expensive" to have a computer in your home. Good thing nobody threw the idea out citing the fact that we already have "infrastructure in place" to use typewriters.

  5. USPS should offer direct-mail spam-blocking by Animats · · Score: 2, Funny
    I'd like to redirect all direct-mail advertising to
    • BFI Waste Transfer Station

    • 225 Shoreway Road
      San Carlos, California 94070

      Attn: Mixed paper recycling.