U.S. Postal Service doesn't like anonymous physical mail [fs][priv]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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From: Majstoll () aol com
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 23:11:14 EST
Subject: US Post Office Publishes Draft Regulation to Require ID to Send Mail
To: declan () well com

Declan,

For Posting:  In apparent disregard for US traditions and the 
Constitutional protections of anonymous free speech as upheld in The 
Tattered Cover Bookstore v. The City of Thornton, Buckley v. American 
Constitutional Law Foundation, McIntyre v. Ohio, Talley v. California, and 
Buckley v. Valeo, the US Post Office is moving forward with a "first step" 
regulation to eventually require the identification and tracking of senders 
of all mail.  Public comments are being accepted through 20 NOV 2003.  I'm 
sure glad that those Federalist Papers already got mailed out before this 
regulation takes effect, whew!

-Mike Stollenwerk
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<http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/10/26/postal.addresses>http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/10/26/postal.addresses
"Post office proposes requiring ID on mail: Regulation offered in response 
to anthrax scare, CNN.com, 26 October 2003


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Postal Service is taking a first step toward 
requiring all senders of mail to identify themselves, a move prompted by 
the anthrax scare two years ago this month.

Five people died of anthrax infection and 13 others became sick when an 
unknown person or persons sent several U.S. senators and media 
organizations envelopes containing the deadly toxin.

As a first step, the Postal Service has proposed a regulation that would 
require sender identification of discount-rate mail.

That includes first-class mail, periodicals, standard mail or 
package-services mailing eligible for any discounted postage rate.

Printed in the Federal Register on October 21, the revision of the Domestic 
Mail Manual is open for public comment until November 20.

"Sender identification of all discount mailings would serve as a tool in 
identifying the senders of a large portion of the mailstream. It could also 
facilitate investigations into the origin of suspicious mail," the proposal 
said.

The Postal Service said two congressional committees urged it to "explore 
the concept of sender identification, including the feasibility of using 
unique, traceable identifiers" -- something likely to draw criticism from 
privacy advocates.

The President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service also recommended the 
use of sender identification recently "for every piece of mail."
...

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