Informed Delivery
For half a decade the USPS has been scanning and storing the face of every letter that they process.
This was made possible through the “support” of the NSA, who wants to know who is communicating with whom. This has already been used in resolving a number of crimes where the sender of a letter hasn’t included their return address. By going through all mail images, the mailbox where the letter was deposited can be determined, and that provides an approximate geographic location of the sender. It also allows security camera footage around the collection box to be reviewed. It’s been remarkably effective.
Well, it is no longer a secret that the USPS is photographing every letter that they handle.
So the USPS has decided to turn this capability into a feature. You can now sign up for their free “Informed Delivery” service. Each morning you will receive an email from the USPS showing the scanned images of the mail that is to be delivered to you that day. Then, you know when something is supposed to be delivered. It will also let you know if somebody is pilfering your mail.
The USPS even has a pretty easy to use app so that you can review all scanned pieces in the prior week. It’s a well designed and easy to use app. An added bonus of the app is that you will get the tracking numbers of all inbound express mail and priority mail parcels.
While we can lament the loss of privacy from having the government monitor our every action, it is at least nice when we get a few spin-offs to make our life easier. The spin-offs don’t justify the intrusion, but given that it’s already happening then we may as well enjoy the table scraps.
Informed Delivery by the USPS is new, and not all areas are receiving the data stream yet. You can sign up, but the availability of the images is hit or miss through the end of 2017.
Look ma, no ads!
Admit it! You just can’t look away. Yet, there’s so much more.
Become a subscriber to TalkingPointz for access to reports and premium posts.
There are several ways to stay informed:
- Visit this site regularly.
- Receive new posts in your email once a week.
- Become an Insider or All Access Subscriber for alerts and access to uncensored content.
TalkingHeadz Podcast
The TalkingHeadz podcasts are @DaveMichels and @EvanKirstel chatting with interesting guests. These are unsponsored and unscripted for your enjoyment. You can subscribe on most podcast apps including iTunes.
TalkingHeadz with Brad Hintze of Crestron
Multi-camera video is best demonstrated in large conference rooms, and that can be a challenge in an expo hall. Crestron solved it: We’re going to need a bigger booth. I experienced Crestron’s 1 Beyond experience in an expo booth with…
Leave a Comment