Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records, 14400-14402 [2023-04339]

Agencies

• Postal Service

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14400-14402]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04339]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal Service[supreg].

ACTION: Notice of modified systems of records.

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SUMMARY: The United States Postal Service[supreg] (USPS) is proposing 
to revise one Customer Privacy Act System of Records (SOR). These 
modifications are being made to support an initiative that is intended 
to enhance the USPS shippers' customer experience and individual 
privacy protection when filing an online International inquiry. The 
USPS International Assistant (IA) initiative will improve the 
efficiency of the identity verification process by streamlining name 
and address verification as described below.

DATES: These revisions will become effective without further notice on 
April 7, 2023, unless in response to comments received on or before 
that date result in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted via email to the Privacy and 
Records Management Office, United States Postal Service Headquarters 
([email protected]). To facilitate public inspection, 
arrangements to view copies of written comments received may be made 
upon request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janine Castorina, Chief Privacy and 
Records Management Officer, Privacy and Records Management Office, via 
([email protected] or 202-268-2000).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is in accordance with the 
Privacy Act requirement that agencies publish their systems of records 
in the Federal Register when there is a revision, change, or addition, 
or when the agency establishes a new system of records. The Postal 
Service has determined that Customer Privacy Act System of Records, 
USPS SOR 810.100, www.usps.com Registration, should be revised to 
support the USPS International Assistant (IA) initiative. The Postal 
Service continuously seeks to improve service and the customer 
experience and is therefore proposing to simplify the process for 
filing an international inquiry online by using the IA tool. The IA 
initiative is intended to improve the efficiency of the identity 
verification process by streamlining name and address verification when 
submitting International Inquiries on usps.com. The USPS International 
Assistant (IA) promotes individual privacy protection by leveraging 
usps.com Customer Registration account profile information to improve 
the identity verification of the individual submitting the 
international inquiry.

I. Background

    International customer care involves a two-step process to submit 
an International inquiry for lost or damaged packages. Investigation of 
a package that a customer shipped from the United States (U.S.) to an 
International destination begins with an individual customer inquiry. 
Once the inquiry is filed and the USPS agent investigates the lost or 
damaged package request, the inquiry is determined to be either closed 
or to proceed as a Claim.
    The IA online International inquiry tool initially facilitates the 
filing of an inquiry by using the package tracking number to pull 
product, service, scanning, and shipment data from internal USPS 
databases. The USPS requires this data for each export shipment to meet 
compliance regulations and to investigate the status of a customer's 
International inquiry. The individual that is filing the inquiry will 
be required to login to their usps.com Customer Registration account to 
proceed. IA then begins the process to verify that the customer filing 
the inquiry is the sender of the package, or if the individual filing 
the inquiry is the Sender's Representative.

Enhanced International Assistant (IA) Online Inquiry Process 
Description

    For the Sender: If the sender's name and address on the package 
matches the name and address in the Customer Registration profile of 
the individual customer filing the international inquiry, the IA system 
will allow the

[[Page 14401]]

customer to proceed with filing an inquiry. However, if the sender's 
name and/or address associated with the package is different than the 
name and/or address in the Customer Registration profile, the IA system 
will ask the customer to confirm the sender's name and/or address that 
appears on the shipment. If the sender's name on the package matches 
the name in the Customer Registration profile, and the sender can 
identify the sender's address on the package, the customer will be 
advised to update their address profile, if applicable, in Customer 
Registration on usps.com. If this customer does not accurately identify 
the sender's name and/or address on the package, then the customer will 
be asked to call the USPS Customer Care Center for further assistance.
    For the Sender's Representative: If the sender's representative is 
filing the inquiry and has registered in Customer Registration on 
usps.com with a name and address that is different from the sender's, 
they will be asked to identify the sender's address on the package 
identified with the tracking number. If this customer does not 
accurately identify the sender's address on the package, then the 
customer will be asked to call the USPS Customer Care Center for 
further assistance.
    The IA tool is a dynamic customer facing interactive solution that 
facilitates a complete and accurate inquiry for lost or damaged 
packages that were sent to International destinations. IA optimizes 
steps needed to submit an inquiry, while providing guidance to 
customers based on their responses for key information. The Postal 
Service is proposing to enhance the International Assistant (IA) 
international inquiry registration process on usps.com, by making it 
easier for the customer to secure authorization to file an inquiry by 
verifying their identity using their Customer Registration account 
profile name and address information.

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

    The enhanced IA online inquiry submission process requires the 
customer to sign-in to, or to create an account on www.usps.com, 
Customer Registration. The proposed process change will protect the 
privacy of the sender's personal information by verifying that the 
customer filing the inquiry is either the Sender or the Sender's 
Representative. This process fulfills the objective to protect the 
privacy of the sender's personal information by verifying the sender's 
identity and address, or by verifying the sender representative's 
authority to file the Inquiry. For example, the sender's representative 
cannot access the sender's personal address information based on the 
package tracking number alone. By leveraging the customer registration 
profile information of a logged-in customer, the IA can also prefill 
most of the information individual customers are required to enter when 
filing an inquiry. Therefore, the IA enhancement facilitates sender 
name and address verification, while streamlining the online 
international inquiry process.
    The Postal Service has determined that Privacy Act System of 
Records, USPS SOR 810.100 www.usps.com Registration, should be revised 
to support a key component of the International Assistant (IA) 
Initiative, to verify the sender's name and address or the authority of 
the sender's representative to file the inquiry, by leveraging their 
respective Customer Registration account profile.

III. Description of the Modified System of Records

 Added new PURPOSE #16 for International Package inquiries 
using the International Assistant tool
 Added new CATEGORY OF RECORDS #8 for International Package 
inquiries using the International Assistant tool
 Added Retrieval by Tracking Number for International Package 
inquiries to Policies and Practices for Retrieval of Records
 Added Sender and Sender's representative for international 
package shipment inquiries to Record Source Categories

    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 revisions 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. USPS SOR 810.100 www.usps.com Registration 
is provided below in its entirety.

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    USPS 810.100, www.usps.com Registration.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    Computer Operations Service Centers.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    Chief Customer and Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, 
United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 
20260-5005, (202) 268-7536.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    39 U.S.C. 401, 403, and 404.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    1. To provide online registration with single sign-on services for 
customers.
    2. To facilitate online registration, provide enrollment 
capability, and administer internet-based services or features.
    3. To maintain current and up-to-date address information to assure 
accurate and reliable delivery and fulfillment of postal products, 
services, and other material.
    4. To obtain accurate contact information in order to deliver 
requested products, services, and other material.
    5. To authenticate customer logon information for usps.com.
    6. To permit customer feedback in order to improve usps.com or USPS 
products and services.
    7. To enhance understanding and fulfillment of customer needs.
    8. To verify a customer's identity when the customer establishes or 
attempts to access his or her account.
    9. To identify, prevent, and mitigate the effects of fraudulent 
transactions.
    10. To enhance the customer experience by improving the security of 
Change of Address (COA) and Hold Mail processes.
    11. To protect USPS customers from becoming potential victims of 
mail fraud and identity theft.
    12. To identify and mitigate potential fraud in the COA and Hold 
Mail processes.
    13. To verify a customer's identity when applying for COA and Hold 
Mail services.
    14. To provide online registration for Informed Address platform 
service for customers.
    15. To authenticate customer logon information for Informed Address 
platform services.
    16. To verify the name and address of the sender or the authority 
of the sender's representative when submitting an online International 
inquiry for a lost or damaged package on usps.com, such as the use of 
the International Assistant tool.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Customers who register via the USPS website at usps.com.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    1. Customer information: Name; customer ID(s); company name; job 
title

[[Page 14402]]

and role; home, business, and billing address; phone number(s) and fax 
number; email(s); URL; text message number(s) and carrier; and 
Automated Clearing House (ACH) information.
    2. Identity verification information: Question, answer, username, 
user ID, password, email address, text message address and carrier, and 
results of identity proofing validation.
    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 website, and information submitted by, or collected 
from, business customers in connection with promotional marketing 
campaigns.
    4. Customer preferences: Preferences to receive USPS marketing 
information, preferences to receive marketing information from USPS 
partners, preferred means of contact, preferred email language and 
format, preferred on-screen viewing language, product and/or service 
marketing preference.
    5. Customer feedback: Method of referral to website.
    6. Registration information: Date of registration.
    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.
    8. International Inquiries: Name and address in Customer 
Registration account profile used to match with Sender name and address 
or Sender's representative authority to file an international inquiry 
for a lost or damaged package.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    Customers, Individual Sender and Sender's representative filing an 
international inquiry for lost or damaged packages.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    Standard routine uses 1. through 7., 10., and 11. apply.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    Automated database, computer storage media, and paper.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    By customer name, customer ID(s), phone number, mail, email 
address, IP address, text message address, and any customer information 
or online user information.
    By tracking number for International package shipments for which an 
individual sender or sender's representative is filing an online 
International inquiry for loss or damage.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    1. ACH records are retained up to 2 years.
    2. Records stored in the registration database are retained until 
the customer cancels the profile record, 3 years after the customer 
last accesses records, or until the relationship ends.
    3. For small business registration, records are retained 5 years 
after the relationship ends.
    4. Online user information may be retained for 6 months. Records 
existing on paper are destroyed by burning, pulping, or shredding. 
Records existing on computer storage media are destroyed according to 
the applicable USPS media sanitization practice.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    Paper records, computers, and computer storage media are located in 
controlled-access areas under supervision of program personnel. Access 
to these areas is limited to authorized personnel, who must be 
identified with a badge.
    Access to records is limited to individuals whose official duties 
require such access. Contractors and licensees are subject to contract 
controls and unannounced on-site audits and inspections.
    Computers are protected by mechanical locks, card key systems, or 
other physical access control methods. The use of computer systems is 
regulated with installed security software, computer logon 
identifications, and operating system controls including access 
controls, terminal and transaction logging, and file management 
software. Online data transmissions are protected by encryption.
    For small business registration, computer storage tapes and disks 
are maintained in controlled-access areas or under general scrutiny of 
program personnel. Access is controlled by logon ID and password as 
authorized by the Marketing organization via secure website. Online 
data transmissions are protected by encryption.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Requests for access must be made in accordance with the 
Notification Procedure above and USPS Privacy Act regulations regarding 
access to records and verification of identity under 39 CFR 266.5.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    See Notification Procedures and Record Access Procedures.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    Customers wanting to know if information about them is maintained 
in this system of records must address inquiries in writing to the 
system manager. Inquiries must contain name, address, and other 
identifying information.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    None.

HISTORY:
    December 27, 2018, 83 FR 66768; August 25, 2016, 81 FR 58542; June 
30, 2016, 81 FR 42760; June 20, 2014, 79 FR 35389; January 23, 2014, 79 
FR 3881; July 11, 2012, 77 FR 40921; October 24, 2011, 76 FR 65756; May 
08, 2008, 73 FR 26155; April 29, 2005, 70 FR 22516.

Sarah Sullivan,
Attorney, Ethics and Legal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2023-04339 Filed 3-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P