FC: More on U.S. Postal Service may require IDs to send packages

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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http://www.politechbot.com/p-03958.html

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Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2002 11:42:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: "John F. McMullen" <observer () westnet com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Subject: Re: FC: U.S. Postal Service now requires ID to send packages?

It's not just college POs -- my local USPS Post Office has a notice posted
that ID must be presented when mailing a package of over a pound -- and,
although it could annoy some, it sounds fine to me. > ---

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From: "George M. Ellenburg" <george () ellenburg org>
To: declan () well com
Subject: Re: FC: U.S. Postal Service now requires ID to send packages?
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2002 06:36:21 -0400

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Contract stations must adhere to the same regulations as regular post offices
(it's in their contract).  All one needs to do is ask the employee, "Show me
where in the DMM it says I need to present an ID to ship a package?"

The DMM is called the Domestic Mail Manual, and is available to anyone upon
request at any post office (it may need to be ordered).  It is a government
document, that is basically the SOP for the USPS and covers everything from
stamps to po boxes to business mail.

A link to an online version of the Domestic Mail Manual is:
  http://pe.usps.gov/

- --
George


> The only way that I can see that this could be legal
> is due to the fact that our university requires students to present their
> student ID to any campus official when asked to do so.
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From: "Ben Serebin" <ben () serebin com>
To: <declan () well com>
Subject: Re: U.S. Postal Service now requires ID to send packages?
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 2002 09:11:50 -0400

Hello Declan,

        This is not at only College campus POs, it also occurs in regular 
ones (NYC POs). I've mailed an assortment of packages in my own packaging 
and USPS packaging, and they usually ask for ID when shipping with my own 
packaging. I think all they are doing is checking to insure the return 
address matches the name on the ID. I know this because my ID lists a 
different address than my packages, and not a single PO employee has ever 
questioned this. I'd consider this ID checking almost pointless, and is 
done to probably make the general public and the post office feel more 
safe. More false sense of security after 9/11 and the anthrax mailer.

-Ben

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