[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 165 (Thursday, August 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58542-58544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20189]
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POSTAL SERVICE
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Postal Service[supreg].
ACTION: Notice of establishment of new system of records.
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SUMMARY: The United States Postal Service[supreg] (Postal Service) is
proposing to establish a new Customer Privacy Act System of Records
(SOR) to support the Informed DeliveryTM notification
service.
DATES: This system will become effective without further notice on
September 26, 2016 unless, in response to comments received on or
before that date, the Postal Service makes any substantive change to
the purpose or routine uses set forth, or to expand the availability of
information in this system, as described in this notice. If the Postal
Service determines that certain portions of this SOR should not be
implemented, or that implementation of certain portions should be
postponed in light of comments received, the Postal Service may choose
to implement the remaining portions of the SOR on the stated effective
date, and will provide notice of that action.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to the Privacy and
Records Office, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW.,
Room 1P830, Washington, DC 20260-0004. 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: Janine Castorina, Chief Privacy
Officer/A, Privacy and Records Office, 202-268-3089 or
[email protected].
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 is establishing a new system of records to support an expansion
of its Informed DeliveryTM notification service.
I. Background
Informed DeliveryTM is a digital service that allows
enrolled users to receive an email notification that contains grayscale
images of the outside of their letter-sized mailpieces processed by
USPS automation equipment prior to delivery. This service is offered at
no cost to the consumer. Informed DeliveryTM is currently
available in areas of New York, Connecticut, and Northern Virginia
(NoVa). The Postal Service intends to expand this service to the
Capital Region (Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Richmond) in September
2016, with national expansion planned for 2017. The establishment of
this new USPS Privacy Act System of Records is intended to support this
expansion.
II. Rationale for Changes to USPS Privacy Act Systems of Records
Expansion and User Acquisition Strategy
Informed DeliveryTM is making mail a more valuable and
effective communication channel for consumers, increasing the relevancy
of physical mail in today's highly digital environment. Informed
DeliveryTM offers residential customers the convenience of
knowing what is in their mailbox from anywhere, even while traveling.
Providing advance notice of mail delivery also allows consumers to take
action before important pieces reach their mailbox, revolutionizing the
customer experience with mail. In some cases, email notifications with
mailpiece images will include interactive content, such as ``ride-
along'' images or related links from the business mailer. Lastly, users
will have access to an online dashboard, which will display their
mailpiece images from the previous six days.
Currently, there are over 75,000 Informed DeliveryTM
users in areas of Northern Virginia, New York, and Connecticut.
According to USPS data, 90 percent of users surveyed in Northern
Virginia have said they would recommend Informed DeliveryTM
to friends or family, and 97 percent of those surveyed in New York
would likely continue using the service. In light of the positive
feedback that the Postal Service has received from Informed
DeliveryTM users, the Postal Service intends to expand the
Informed DeliveryTM notification service to the Washington,
DC, Baltimore, and Richmond metropolitan areas in September 2016, with
national expansion planned for 2017. To achieve this goal, the Postal
Service has developed a comprehensive user acquisition strategy that
includes a direct mail referral campaign, email campaigns sent to My
USPS and USPS.com users, and promotion at retail locations. For the
referral campaign, USPS will send a mailpiece to current Informed
DeliveryTM users with the request that they send the
provided tear-off cards to friends and family who may be interested in
the service. As part of the user acquisition strategy, the Postal
Service will be collecting personal information from internal and
external sources, as identified below.
Informed DeliveryTM is currently supported by two
Privacy Act Systems of Records, USPS 810.100, www.usps.com Registration
and USPS 820.200, Mail Management and Tracking Activity. The Postal
Service has determined that a new system of
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records should be established to support the planned expansion of the
service and to promote transparency with regard to its collection and
use of customer information.
Purposes and Disclosures
USPS is using customer information to link physical mail with
digital content in order to provide consumers with a convenient,
innovative, and relevant way to access their mailpieces. Specifically,
customer information will be used to support the Informed
DeliveryTM notification service, providing users with a
daily email notification containing images of their letter-sized
mailpieces that will be arriving in their mailbox soon. Additionally,
this information will help USPS maintain up-to-date user records and
prevent fraudulent transactions, resulting in an improved customer
experience. USPS will also collect data analytics from mail campaigns
sent through Informed DeliveryTM in order to determine the
outcomes of each campaign and help guide business decisions.
Security and Privacy
The Postal Service takes the privacy of customers' mail very
seriously and takes measures to ensure that all personal information is
protected. To obtain the mail images, the Postal Service relies on
existing automated mail processing equipment that is used every day to
sort mail so that it can be delivered to the proper address. The
scanned images that the Postal Service sends to enrolled users show
only the exterior, front-side of letter-sized mail; the daily
notification does not contain any information about the contents of the
scanned mailpieces. The sanctity of the mail is also protected by the
U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
To enroll in Informed DeliveryTM, consumers must live in
a ZIP Code where the service is active and have an eligible address,
which can be confirmed through the Informed DeliveryTM Web
site. Eligible consumers must then successfully complete one of several
available verification processes. Once these steps are complete, a
consumer will be able to access the Informed DeliveryTM
notification service. During the sign-up and verification process, a
consumer's household address is only collected and maintained to ensure
that he or she only receives images of mail intended for delivery at
the verified address. Other methods to ensure the security of the data
are described below in the Safeguards section of the new Informed
DeliveryTM SOR.
III. Description of the New System of Records
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 establishment of this SOR has been sent to Congress and to the
Office of Management and Budget for their evaluations. The Postal
Service does not expect the establishment of this SOR to have any
adverse effect on individual privacy rights. Accordingly, for the
reasons stated above, the Postal Service proposes a new system of
records as follows:
USPS 820.300
SYSTEM NAME:
Informed DeliveryTM.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
USPS Headquarters; Wilkes-Barre Solutions Center; and Eagan, MN.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
1. Customers who are enrolled in Informed DeliveryTM
notification service.
2. Mailers that use Informed DeliveryTM notification
service to enhance the value of the physical mail sent to customers.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
1. Customer information: Name; customer ID(s); mailing (physical)
address(es) and corresponding 11-digit delivery point ZIP Code; phone
number(s); email address(es); text message number(s) and carrier.
2. Customer account preferences: Individual customer preferences
related to email and online communication participation level for USPS
and marketing information.
3. Customer feedback: Information submitted by customers related to
Informed DeliveryTM notification service or any other Postal
product or service.
4. Subscription information: Date of customer sign-up for services
through an opt-in process; date customer opts-out of services; nature
of service provided.
5. Data on mailpieces: Destination address of mailpiece;
Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb); 11-digit delivery point ZIP Code; and
delivery status; identification number assigned to equipment used to
process mailpiece.
6. Mail Images: Electronic files containing images of mail pieces
captured during normal mail processing operations.
7. User Data associated with 11-digit ZIP Codes: Information
related to the user's interaction with Informed DeliveryTM
email messages, including, but not limited to email open and click-
through rates, dates, times, and open rates appended to mailpiece
images (user data is not associated with personally identifiable
information).
8. Data on Mailings: Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) and its
components including the Mailer Identifier (Mailer ID or MID), Service
Type Identifier (STID) and Serial Number.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
39 U.S.C. 401, 403, and 404.
Purpose(s):
1. To support the Informed DeliveryTM notification
service which provides customers with electronic notification of
physical mail that is intended for delivery at the customer's address.
2. To provide daily email communication to consumers with images of
the letter-sized mailpieces that they can expect to be delivered to
their mailbox each day.
3. To provide an enhanced customer experience and convenience for
mail delivery services by linking physical mail to electronic content.
4. To obtain and maintain current and up-to-date address and other
contact information to assure accurate and reliable delivery and
fulfillment of postal products, services, and other material.
5. To determine the outcomes of marketing or advertising campaigns
and to guide policy and business decisions through the use of
analytics.
6. To identify, prevent, or mitigate the effects of fraudulent
transactions.
7. To demonstrate the value of Informed DeliveryTM in
enhancing the responsiveness to physical mail and to promote use of the
mail by commercial mailers and other postal customers.
Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System, Including Categories
of Users and the Purposes of Such Uses
Standard routine uses 1-7, 10 and 11 apply.
Policies and Practices for Storing, Retrieving, Accessing, Retaining,
and Disposing of Records in the System
Storage
Automated database and computer storage media.
Retrievability
By customer email address, 11-Digit ZIP Code and/or the Mailer ID
component of the Intelligent Mail Barcode.
Safeguards
Computers and computer storage media are located in controlled-
access
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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. Access is controlled by
logon ID and password. Online data transmissions are protected by
encryption.
Retention and Disposal
Mailpiece images will be retained up to 7 days (mailpiece images
are not associated with personally identifiable information). Records
stored in the subscription database are retained until the customer
cancels or opts-out of the service.
User data is retained for 2 years, 11 months.
Records existing on computer storage media are destroyed according
to the applicable USPS media sanitization practice. Any records
existing on paper will be destroyed by burning, pulping, or shredding.
System Manager(s) and Address
Vice President, New Products and Innovation, United States Postal
Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20260
Notification Procedure
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, email and other
identifying information.
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 266.6.
Contesting Record Procedures
See Notification Procedure and Record Access Procedures above.
Record Source Categories
Individual customers who request Informed DeliveryTM
notification service; USPS.com account holders; other USPS systems and
applications including those that support online change of address,
mail hold services, Premium Forwarding Service or PO Boxes Online;
commercial entities, including commercial mailers or other Postal
Service business partners and third-party mailing list providers.
* * * * *
Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2016-20189 Filed 8-24-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P