The U.S. Postal Service has a program called the “mail covers program” that provides information about people’s mail to law enforcement agencies. This program is used to investigate criminal activity, but some individuals claim they have been targeted by it even though they haven’t done anything wrong. The program allows agencies to see the information on the outside of letters and packages, providing a lot of data about a person under surveillance.
Various agencies such as the FBI, IRS, Department of Homeland Security, and even state and local police forces have requested information using this program. Surprisingly, there is no need for a court order or judge’s approval to access this information. The program has been used extensively, with over 158,000 information requests approved by the Post Office in a four-year period. Police agencies alone make an average of about 6,700 requests per year.
Legislators like Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren are pushing for more transparency and oversight of the program. However, this mail covers program is not the only one in place. There is another program called the Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program, which photographs the exterior of every piece of mail in the postal system. While this program is primarily for routing and organizational purposes, it can also be utilized for law enforcement activities.
Gizmodo has reached out to the Justice Department and the Post Office for comments on these programs. It is essential for the public to be aware of these monitoring programs and for there to be clear regulations in place to protect individuals’ privacy. The concerns raised by legislators highlight the need for greater transparency and accountability when it comes to government surveillance programs.
