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Suspicious Packages Spotlight Vast 'Mail Cover' Postal Surveillance System (fastcompany.com)

tedlistens writes: As law enforcement investigates possible mail bombs sent to prominent Democratic Party figures and liberal activists, the tools available at their disposal include digital images and delivery metadata commonly associated with mail sent in the United States. The U.S. Postal Service regularly photographs the front and back of every piece of U.S. mail, or about 150 billion parcels, envelopes, and postcards every year. A longstanding practice known as the "mail cover" program enables law enforcement to obtain address information and images of the outsides of mail as part of an investigation without the need for a warrant through the Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service's policing arm.

According to a report from CBS News, authorities are currently using "data analytics" to spot similar packages to those identified as containing bombs. Images of packages shared with the press show a common return address, using the misspelled name of Representative and former Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The Postal Inspection Service doesn't generally comment on its investigative techniques. As part of the mail cover program, mail is routinely digitally photographed as part of the sorting process and even available for recipients to digitally preview in some areas. Apart from threats like bombs, the department says its main focus is on mail theft, fraud, and narcotics cases.

29 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. USPS offers a service to "preview" your daily mail by turp182 · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's called Informed Delivery. They email you images of what's arriving that day.

    https://informeddelivery.usps....

    My wife signed up for it, it's sort of creepy and exciting (at first).

    I would assume they image everything (at least letter sized) as part of sorting.

    --
    BlameBillCosby.com
  2. USPS Informed Delivery - Kinda handy, actually by Kevoco · · Score: 5, Informative

    Go to informeddelivery.usps.com
    Select "Sign Up For Free."

    1. Re:USPS Informed Delivery - Kinda handy, actually by ksw_92 · · Score: 2

      OK, I thought I've never, ever see this happen but it looks like that site's slashdotted now. It's about as unlikely an occurrence as Sears.com melting down on Black Friday.

    2. Re:USPS Informed Delivery - Kinda handy, actually by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 2

      It surprises me that anyone is surprised by this. The USPS does more tracking of everything imaginable than Google, it's nearly impossible to send something of any real size anonymously. Which also surprises me that the guy sending the bombs wasn't aware of this.

      Mind you someone doing what he did clearly wasn't in any rational state of mind, so I guess not knowing you'd get caught almost immediately comes with that.

  3. MAGA Bomber!!! by bit+trollent · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Surprising nobody, the person sending bombs to Democratic politicians, supporters, and media organizations is a virulently pro-Trump terrorist.

    His van is covered in pro-Trump stickers, along with stickers of Democrats with gun targets on their faces.

    The coverings of the terrorist's van refer to Trump's stated enemy list as well as memes shared by right wing republicans nationwide.

    Is it too much to ask that Trump stop encouraging his supporters to violently attack reporters and Democrats?

    1. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Surprising nobody, the person sending bombs to Democratic politicians, supporters, and media organizations is a virulently pro-Trump terrorist.

      His van is covered in pro-Trump stickers, along with stickers of Democrats with gun targets on their faces.

      The coverings of the terrorist's van refer to Trump's stated enemy list as well as memes shared by right wing republicans nationwide.

      Is it too much to ask that Trump stop encouraging his supporters to violently attack reporters and Democrats?

      Real bullets that actually work were shot at Republican lawmakers having a ball game. One was seriously wounded.

      Was that Democrats' fault? Or was it just a lone nut?

    2. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Democrats don't share pictures of republicans with gun targets on their face.

      Republicans share pictures of democrats (including this weeks' bombing targets) with gun targets painted on their face.

      So yes, when a lunatic does something that goes contrary to everything Dems stand for it's not Democrats fault. When a republican puts violent right wing memes spread by Trump and prominent republicans into action they deserve the blame.

    3. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Oh no! My side had bombs sent to them.
      Well, MY side was shot at! That's a hundred times worse.

      My side, your side. Republicans. Democrats. Don't you think that's how we ended up where we are right now?

      Repeat after me: "It is a tragedy when ANYONE is threatened or attacked and we, as American Citizens, should be appalled and angered every single time any violence happens to anyone. Everyone should feel safe TO SPEAK their beliefs and TO HEAR OTHERS speak their beliefs. No exceptions."

    4. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When was the last time a Democrat running for any office - let alone the Presidency - stood in the middle of a crowded stadium and offered up bail money for anyone arrested being violent in their name, you intellectually dishonest shithead?

    5. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have seen democrats share pictures with targets on the faces of their political opponents. Hell, one of the "bomb" targets was telling her supporters to harass any members of the Cabinet they see out in public. Another one was recorded telling supporters "when they go low, we kick them".

      What exactly is "everything Dems stand for"? It seems these days they're more than happy to encourage folks to "see a nazi, punch a nazi".... and then label all their opponents as nazis.

    6. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Palin and the crosshair bullshit" led to Gifford being shot in the head by someone who started planning *years* before the crosshair bullshit? Amazing!

      https://www.washingtonpost.com...

    7. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Correct - Democrats create "art" with a decapitated Trump head instead. "Art" makes it cool.

      Democrats also go out and violently protest, fighting police, damaging public property, and bloodying people who wear MAGA hats. But that's just because they're so passionate about freedom and democracy and stuff.

      Clearly there's a single "good" team in all of this.

    8. Re: MAGA Bomber!!! by jd · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That was a lone nut. We know this because he was not incited. Nobody encouraged him to be violent.

      This guy was incited. Trump has specifically talked of killing people, particularly opponents. The conspiracy theories he referenced were ones promoted by Trump-backed media outlets.

      You are entitled to question which incitement made the difference, who is ultimately responsible for driving him over the edge. What you aren't entitled to do is invent your own set of facts.

      If you do not see any difference between the cases, I can't help you.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    9. Re: MAGA Bomber!!! by jd · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Terrorising? Sorry, no. That is not enough. This was a terrorist attack. A term he is keen on using when his supporters are at risk.

      He is the President of the whole country or none of it. It is not enough until he calls it for what it is.

      I don't expect him to admit to lying when he said earlier that it was a false flag, when he would have already been informed it wasn't. I don't think he has the guts. He can't do anything about that.

      Letting him slide on diminishing and belittling terms. No.

      And I expect any American to insist he calls it for what it is, whatever side they are on. One America, indivisible, cannot allow the belittling of an attrocity.

      The same is true of all attacks on all sides. I am fully aware of the attack some time ago on a Republican and his friends. That, too, was a terrorist attack. Not terrorizing, not less than. Said so then, will repeat so now.

      Those Republicans who have said it was a terrorist attack, good for you. You've courage and decency.

      All I ask is for false flag theorists and "terrorizing" justifiers to do the decent thing. Call it for what it is.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    10. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by dcollins117 · · Score: 2

      What exactly is "everything Dems stand for"?

      I'll field this one. I'm independent but have only voted for Democratic candidates simply because no one happened to be better.

      The first priority is to institute a check against the lunacy coming out of the White House. This is absolutely essential because Donald Trump doesn't think, he just spouts whatever happens to pop into his deranged brain at the moment, and because he's president, it suddenly becomes policy. Cruel, real life things, like separating children from their families and restricting rights for women and minorities. Perhaps we can curb his use of stochastic terrorism that leads to incidents like the one we are discussing.

      Once that is accomplished, maybe we can focus more on policies that help people instead of actively hurting them. Healthcare for all would be a good start. Certainly that would benefit more people than some inane wall.

    11. Re:MAGA Bomber!!! by reboot246 · · Score: 2

      A Democrat held up a fake severed head of Trump. That's a step beyond putting a bullseye on a photo.

      And antifa is a non-violent service organization that collects money for orphans, right?

  4. scanning does not mean tracking by kiviQr · · Score: 4, Funny

    Amazing, they are the only one who cannot find or track my packages but at least the photograph both sides of every letter.

  5. Re:It's just metadata! by Bradmont · · Score: 2

    Is it just metadata if they photograph a postcard?

  6. The arrested bomber's van is covered in Pro-Trump by bit+trollent · · Score: 2

    The arrested bomber's van is covered in pro-Trump stickers, and violent memes spread by republicans nationwide, like a gun target painted on a picture of Hillary Clinton.

    You may apologize now.

    Trump should apologize for encouraging domestic terrorism.

  7. Re:USPS offers a service to "preview" your daily m by turp182 · · Score: 2

    Interesting, I thought it was generally available for letter mail.

    And what are they hiding? They probably don't want to tip you off of their awareness of your untoward and tawdry mail contents...

    Maybe it's only in urban areas, but they have to scan everything anyway for sorting purposes.

    --
    BlameBillCosby.com
  8. Re:The arrested bomber's van is covered in Pro-Tru by JackieBrown · · Score: 2, Insightful

    LOL - And the democrats who are actually encouraging civil unrest and violence even after a republican was shot at a baseball game? I don't recall any apologies there.

    And honestly, earlier this month "Suspected Ricin sent to Pentagon, suspicious letters to Trump, Ted Cruz office"
    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/u...

    How did the media respond to this? Well the New York times publishes a fictional article about the secret service and Russians assassinating Trump

  9. Re:How did it work, I wonder? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

    All of the photos of the packages show absolutely no post marks, barcodes, cancelled postage..
    [ ... blather deleted ... ]

    None of the packages shown have ever been in the USPS system, nor Fedex, UPS, etc, etc..
    What the fuck?

    The fuck is that you're an uninformed idiot.
    From Fact Check: 'Canceled Stamp' Conspiracy (a conservative opinion site, BTW):

    Lastly, the premise that if a stamp is not canceled it was therefore not mailed through the USPS is incorrect. As the executive director of the American Philatelic Society, Scott English, tells TWS Fact Check, “It is possible for mail to go through the mail without being cancelled by the USPS. There are still hand-stamped packages and in other cases, a postal clerk will use a magic marker to draw a line through stamps. There is no standard throughout the country.”

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  10. Re:USPS offers a service to "preview" your daily m by OzPeter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's called Informed Delivery. They email you images of what's arriving that day.

    https://informeddelivery.usps....

    My wife signed up for it, it's sort of creepy and exciting (at first).

    I would assume they image everything (at least letter sized) as part of sorting.

    I expect that this what Netflix uses to speed up delivery of DVDs. I regularly drop a DVD in the mail and Netflix will send out the next one in my queue well before the returning DVD will have made it to their wharehouse. So on one hand creepy, on the other hand faster turn around time for their service.

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  11. Re:It's just metadata! by pz · · Score: 2

    The exterior of all mail is considered to be public information, including post-cards. There is no expectation of privacy.

    Want to write a post-card without making the contents public? Put it in an envelope, simple as that.

    --

    Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
  12. The Van ... by schwit1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    This van looks like what Steve Bannon would turn into if he was a Transformer

    - Twitter

  13. Re:The arrested bomber's van is covered in Pro-Tru by werepants · · Score: 2

    Is there any anti-Democrat conspiracy theory you WON'T believe? I used to think tin-foil hatters were just an exaggerated joke, but your posts are doing a great job convincing me otherwise. You better tighten that thing up another notch.

  14. Re:They Might Be Giants. by PPH · · Score: 2

    and they KNOW where YOU LIVE!

    That little box I have at the post office is getting pretty cramped.

    Interesting note: The post office will deliver mail addressed to their street address and my PO box number (as if it were an apartment address).

    Another interesting note: Federal law requires that I keep the post office informed of my actual residential address. Many years ago, when I moved, I went to my post office to fill out the requisite forms.

    Me: "I'm moving. What form do I have to fill out to update my residential address on record for my PO Box?"
    Clerk: "Oh, so you'll be giving up your box? Where would you like your mail forwarded?"
    Me: "No. Keep delivering my mail to my PO Box. I just need to update my address."
    Clerk: "I don't understand. What are we supposed to do with your mail?"
    Me: "Keep putting it in the little box over there. But I need to change my residential address, which is ... " (In an adjacent town)
    Clerk: "But we don't deliver to that location. You'll have to contact the post office in your town to arrange for delivery."

    After a few more minutes of playing 'Whos on first' with the clerk, I just thanked him and walked out. To this day, I'm not sure they know where I live. If this clerk ever came across a bomb, he'd probably start chewing on it.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  15. And then there's the actual harm - to the GOP by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    No bombs sent to Democrats even got close to them, or went off...

    Unlike the bomb locally delivered to a GOP office.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  16. Re:How did it work, I wonder? by Etcetera · · Score: 3, Informative

    Did you see the van with the back windows platered over with stickers?
    That van would not get a block before being pulled over and over and over again.

    You seriously underestimate the amount of crazy shit that exists on a day to day basis in Florida.