Academic

Surveillance And Mail Search At The USPS

By Dan Filler

I'm surprised that there isn't greater coverage of the revelation in Thursday's USA Today that:

U.S. postal authorities have approved more than 10,000 law enforcement requests to record names, addresses and other information from the outside of letters and packages of suspected criminals every year since 1998....In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the most recent year provided, officials granted at least 99.5% of requests, according to partial responses to inquiries filed by USA TODAY under the Freedom of Information Act.

The numbers are fresh, but I suppose the issue itself is old news.   On one hand, I find it very disconcerting that the recording of such information requires no warrant - and that George Bush takes the position that no warrant is required even to open mail.  (I'm also always a bit taken aback when I find Bob Barr in my foxhole.)  On the other hand, this seems to be one more piece of evidence that we are quickly morphing into a surveillance society.  Perhaps it's inevitable given modern technology's remarkable data recording, retrieval, and mangement capacity.   You can't give the FBI new toys expect it to leave them in their boxes!

In any case, it does appear that there might be a market for "social activist" communication services: package delivery companies and telecom providers which, for a small additional charge, demand a warrant before releasing information.    A new niche for Working Assets?

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on March 08, 2008 (boomark / email).