Postal Service July 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Postal Service proposes to revise the existing system of records entitled, ``Address Change, Mail Forwarding, and Related Services, 800.000.'' The modification clarifies the existing routine use relating to disclosure of customers' temporary changes of address to mailers; disclosure of changes of address to the American Red Cross; obtaining and sharing lists of individuals affected by disasters from other government agencies; disclosure of changes of address for domestic violence shelters; and allowances for alternative methods of customer authentication for the submission of change-of-address (COA) requests in times of emergencies as well as in the regular course of business. Background: The basic function of the United States Postal Service[supreg] at all times, and especially during an emergency, is to bind the nation together through the delivery of postal services to the American public. The severity and magnitude of past catastrophic events have led to an evaluation of our records management policies. After careful review, the Postal Service believes that revisions to certain policies regarding disclosure of temporary changes of address to mailers, as well as disclosure of address information to the American Red Cross and other government agencies would be helpful, promote clarity and improve the provision of services to persons displaced by catastrophic events. Modifications to the system of records will be reflected in Categories of Individuals Covered by the System; Categories of Records in the System; Purposes of Such Uses; and Storage, Retention, and Disposal. The record source(s) for this system has also been amended to include commercially available source(s) of customer dates of birth. Date of birth information may be collected and used for verification purposes in the event credit/debit card information is not available for electronically submitted changes of address, and only in the event of a natural or manmade disaster as determined by the Postal Service. As a form of verification, credit/ debit card information is currently required for both Internet and telephone COA submissions. As a way to accommodate the customer in times of disaster, and to maintain a level of protection for Postal Service customers from fraudulent submission, an alternative method (providing date of birth) was developed as a form of identification and verification. In addition, the Postal Service continues to encourage the use of USPS.com[supreg] for secure and convenient online change-of-address submissions. The Postal Service currently requires a valid credit/debit card to authenticate a customer and to complete a change-of-address request online. We have found that many customers wish to use our online service; however, they are unable to because they do not possess the appropriate credit/debit card required for the authentication process. In order to accommodate those customers, the Postal Service plans to pilot test an alternative authentication option for online change-of-address submissions. The objective of the test is to determine, if given a choice, which types of identification customers prefer to provide as a method of authentication. For this test, customers will be offered a choice of authentication methods. They may continue to provide a credit/debit card OR as an alternative, they may choose to provide their driver's state and license number and their date of birth. If customers choose the latter, the customers' driver's state and license number and date of birth, along with their name and previous address, will be validated through the use of an authorized commercial database. The test will be conducted for a limited period of time and will include a small sample set of customers requesting to change their address on USPS.com. At the completion of the test period, results will be analyzed to determine if the objectives have been met. If the test is determined to be successful, this process may be implemented nationally. The privacy and security of the mail, including the change-of- address process is the core of the Postal Service brand. Over the course of its history, the Postal Service has built a trusted brand with the public. New technology and processes continue to be developed that bring added value and improved customer service to our networks. As always, the Postal Service will only use technology, or adapt technology, in a way that ensures that the privacy and security of the mail and its customers are maintained at the highest levels. The current proposal for change-of-address authentication is no exception. The USPS has carefully analyzed the need, usage, and benefits of an alternative authentication method, while establishing procedures that would properly address privacy and security needs. The Postal Service has considered and incorporated privacy and security features regarding use of commercial source(s) for the collection and verification of driver's license information and date of birth. The Postal Service has limited the type and amount of data provided to the commercial source(s) to only name, previous address, date of birth, driver's state and license number (for non-emergency) and telephone number. The commercial source(s) will purge all personal information once the transaction is completed and will limit the data returned. No personal information will be returned; output fields will only contain confirmation of authentication. In emergency situations, the Postal Service automated system will permit customers to enter their name and date of birth and will confirm this information. The customers' entry will be securely transmitted to the commercial database for verification. Strict limitations have also been placed around the use of the data by the Postal Service, as well as how data are provided to the commercial source(s). When customers enter their information online at USPS.com to request either an emergency change of address or for the alternative authentication test, which are both covered by the Privacy Act, they will be provided details on how their information is protected through the Privacy Act Statement. If customers do not have a credit/debit card number to use as a form of identification/verification, they will be asked for their date of birth as an alternative in an emergency, or both driver's state and license number and date of birth as an additional authentication method in non-emergency situations. Customers may decline to provide this information and submit their change-of- address request via hard copy mail. Two other revisions are also included in this notice. First, online user information for Internet change-of-address requests (to include Internet Protocol (IP) address, domain name, operating system versions, browser version, date and time of connection, and geographic location) is listed as a new record category. This information may be disclosed to law enforcement personnel in order to aid the United States Postal Inspection Service to investigate cases of fraudulent online activity. Second, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Public Law 103-322, 108 Stat. 1796, requires the Postal Service to ``secure the confidentiality of domestic violence shelters and abused persons' addresses.'' To further provide protection for address changes for domestic violence shelters and Court Ordered Protected Individuals (COPI), the Postal Service will revise routine uses ``a'' and ``b'' to clarify that domestic violence shelters may limit disclosure of their change-of-address information.

The Postal Service is proposing to revise the mailing standards for the treatment of books and sound recordings that are found loose in the mail or undeliverable as addressed. The revision would eliminate confusion and simplify procedures.