Is the US Government's Snail-Mail Logging Program Invasive?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the US government's "Mail Isolation Control and Tracking" program, which involves the logging of metadata from snail-mail, including sender and recipient information. Participants explore the implications of this program in comparison to digital communication tracking, raising concerns about privacy and consent.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants draw an analogy between the tracking of email metadata and the government's logging of snail-mail metadata, suggesting that both practices involve recording sender and recipient information without opening the mail.
  • Others argue that there is a significant difference in the scope of tracking, noting that the program extends beyond USPS to include other carriers like FedEx and UPS, raising concerns about tracking without consent.
  • One participant expresses surprise that the program has not been contracted out to a private company, questioning the extent of government involvement.
  • Another participant mentions the historical context of mail covers as a precursor to the current program, indicating a long-standing practice of surveillance in postal services.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether the Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program is invasive. There are competing views regarding the implications of the program and the differences between snail-mail and digital communication tracking.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights various assumptions about privacy, consent, and the extent of government surveillance, but these assumptions remain unresolved and are subject to interpretation.

jtbell
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I think I've seen the analogy somewhere, that the much-discussed capturing of meta-data for e-mail, text messages etc. is like recording the sender and destination names and addresses on a snail-mail envelope without actually opening the envelope.

Well, surprise... the US government is doing that too, with the cooperation of the US Postal Service. It's called the "Mail Isolation Control and Tracking" program.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
 
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There is a difference. Its as if they logged not just snail-mail USPS, but also all of your Fed Ex, UPS, etc. packages that are not affiliated with or funded by the US government.

If my email was blahblah[at]email.us.gov I could expect some tracking statistics. And I expect some internal tracking statistics for gmail, yahoo etc. But INTERNAL and sharing with 3rd party entities without consent is a little different. Or if it said in the TOS that it would share meta-data with the government, then I would have accepted.

there's a difference for sure.
 
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jtbell said:
I think I've seen the analogy somewhere, that the much-discussed capturing of meta-data for e-mail, text messages etc. is like recording the sender and destination names and addresses on a snail-mail envelope without actually opening the envelope.

Well, surprise... the US government is doing that too, with the cooperation of the US Postal Service. It's called the "Mail Isolation Control and Tracking" program.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I suppose the next thing will be intelligent bar codes on snail mail. (some simple bar code systems are already in use).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_Mail_barcode
 
jtbell said:
I think I've seen the analogy somewhere, that the much-discussed capturing of meta-data for e-mail, text messages etc. is like recording the sender and destination names and addresses on a snail-mail envelope without actually opening the envelope.

Well, surprise... the US government is doing that too, with the cooperation of the US Postal Service. It's called the "Mail Isolation Control and Tracking" program.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I am surprised that it has'nt been contracted out to a private company.

from the ink:

Mr. Pickering was targeted by a longtime surveillance system called mail covers, a forerunner of a vastly more expansive effort, the Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program, in which Postal Service computers photograph the exterior of every piece of paper mail that is processed in the United States — about 160 billion pieces last year. It is not known how long the government saves the images.
 

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