Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records, 35389-35390 [2014-14404]

Agencies

• Postal Service

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 119 (Friday, June 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35389-35390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14404]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.

ACTION: Notice of modification to existing systems of records.

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SUMMARY: The United States Postal Service[supreg] is proposing to 
modify a Customer Privacy Act System of Records to enable the Postal 
Service to collect additional information from customers who register 
with usps.com online. Such information will include technical 
information pertaining to the computers, software, and devices that 
registrants use to access usps.com, as well as information supplied by 
businesses that participate in promotional marketing campaigns. These 
changes will enhance the Postal Service's abilities to verify a 
registrant's identity online, identify and mitigate fraudulent 
transactions, and to improve usps.com as well as postal products and 
services. Additional updates are being made to expand the types of 
business specific information maintained by the Postal Service in the 
Customer Registration application.

DATES: These revisions will become effective without further notice on 
July 21, 2014 unless comments received on or before that date result in 
a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to the Privacy and 
Records Office, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., 
Room 9517, Washington, DC 20260-1101. Copies of all written comments 
will be available at this address for public inspection and 
photocopying between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew J. Connolly, Chief Privacy 
Officer, Privacy and Records Office, 202-268-8582 or privacy@usps.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is in accordance with the 
Privacy Act requirement that agencies publish their amended systems of 
records in the Federal Register when there is a revision, change, or 
addition. The Postal ServiceTM has reviewed this system of 
records and has determined that this Customer Privacy Act System of 
Records should be revised to modify categories of records in the 
system.

I. Background

    To date, approximately 20 million customers (individuals and 
corporate entities) conduct transactions with the Postal Service online 
through usps.com. To create an account on usps.com, users must register 
through the Customer Registration application. This application 
requires each registrant to submit personal, user-specific information 
such as his or her name, physical address, email address, and phone 
number, to enable the registrant to make purchases for postal products 
and services online.
    Additional information is collected from the customer automatically 
when the customer registers through usps.com, such as the registrant's 
Internet Protocol (IP) address, domain name, operating system versions, 
browser version, date and time of connection, and geographic location. 
This information is used to support the Customer Registration 
application and provide a secure environment for customer transactions.
    The Customer Registration application is a target for various types 
of fraudulent activity, such as the creation of fraudulent accounts, 
identity theft, and unauthorized account access. Consistent with the 
official USPS Privacy Policy, available at www.usps.com/privacypolicy, 
the Postal Service has implemented policies and programs that attempt 
to identify and mitigate such fraudulent activities, including the 
collection and analysis of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from users 
of usps.com for the purposes of identifying potential fraudulent 
activities. While these policies and programs have had success, the 
Postal Service is seeking to enhance its ability to identify and 
mitigate fraud through the collection of additional types of customer 
information during the Customer Registration process. Accordingly, the 
Postal Service is seeking to amend System of Records 810.100, 
www.usps.com Registration, to authorize such collection.
    The Postal Service is also proposing to maintain information from 
business

[[Page 35390]]

customers regarding promotional marketing campaigns in which they have 
participated or would like to participate. Such information would 
include details about the business, whether the business would like to 
participate in a mailing, shipping or Postal-related program, and any 
ideas the business may have for programs that might best suit its 
needs.
    The Postal Service is also amending categories of records in the 
system, business specific information, to reflect additional data 
elements that will be maintained in the Customer Registration 
application.

II. Rationale for Changes to USPS Privacy Act Systems of Records

    System of Records 810.100, www.usps.com Registration, is being 
modified to account for the collection of additional information 
pertaining to the computers, devices, networks, and software that 
customers use to conduct transactions through usps.com. This 
information includes: (1) Device identification number (device ID), 
which is a unique or distinctive number associated with a smartphone or 
other digital device, (2) Media Access Control (MAC) address, a unique 
identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications and 
associated with the computer hardware that enables a device such as a 
smartphone or laptop to connect to a computer network, and, (3) user 
agent information, which contains information about the software acting 
on behalf of the customer when the customer connects and interacts with 
a Web site such as usps.com.
    The organization routinely will analyze data collected from the 
customer, including the additional information specified above, thereby 
enhancing current fraud protection controls. When specific fraud is 
identified against a customer account, the organization will 
communicate the incident to the registrant and offer recommended steps 
to enhance the customer's protection.
    Collecting information from businesses regarding promotional 
marketing campaigns would further a purpose already listed within this 
system of records--``To permit customer feedback in order to improve 
usps.com or USPS products and services.'' The Postal Service values its 
business customers, and welcomes any information they wish to share in 
connection with USPS promotional marketing campaigns. By associating 
this information with a business customer's account, the Postal Service 
will be better able to learn about and serve that customer. 
Additionally, such information may aid the Postal Service in making 
improvements to usps.com as well as to Postal Service products and 
services.
    This SOR is also being amended to include information on whether a 
USPS business customer is a mail owner, a mail service provider, a PC 
Postage user, and/or a PC postage vendor. Such information, which is 
currently collected and stored in other postal information systems 
(Program Registration and Postalone!) will now be maintained in the 
Customer Registration database and will enable businesses to 
participate in Package Service programs, to receive mail tracking data, 
to receive incentives on certain mail volumes, or to avail themselves 
of other postal features available to business customers.

III. Description of Changes to Systems of Records

    The Postal Service is modifying one system of records listed below. 
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(11), interested persons are invited to 
submit written data, views, or arguments on this proposal. A report of 
the proposed modifications has been sent to Congress and to the Office 
of Management and Budget for their evaluations. The Postal Service does 
not expect this amended system of records to have any adverse effect on 
individual privacy rights. The affected systems are as follows:

USPS 810.100
SYSTEM NAME: www.usps.com Registration

    Accordingly, for the reasons stated, the Postal Service proposes 
changes in the existing system of records as follows:
USPS 810.100

SYSTEM NAME:
    www.usps.com Registration

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM
* * * * *
    [CHANGE TO READ]
    3. Business specific information: Business type and location, 
business IDs, annual revenue, number of employees, industry, nonprofit 
rate status, mail owner, mail service provider, PC postage user, PC 
postage vendor, product usage information, annual and/or monthly 
shipping budget, payment method and information, planned use of 
product, age of Web site, and information submitted by, or collected 
from, business customers in connection with promotional marketing 
campaigns.
* * * * *
    7. Online user information: Internet Protocol (IP) address, domain 
name, operating system versions, browser version, date and time of 
connection, Media Access Control (MAC) address, device identifier, 
information about the software acting on behalf of the user (i.e., user 
agent), and geographic location.
* * * * *

Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Legal Policy & Legislative Advice.
[FR Doc. 2014-14404 Filed 6-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P