[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 67 (Monday, April 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 16771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8361]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Disclosure of Information on U.S. Mail

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Postal Service is publishing notice that it has amended 
its Administrative Support Manual to clarify the instances when it may 
collect an image of the U.S. Mail, in whole or parts, for operational 
or health and safety purposes.

DATES: The amendment to the Administrative Support Manual (ASM) is 
effective when published in the Postal Bulletin (issue 22073) on April 
4, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Parties interested in reviewing these amendments may find 
them online at http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/pb.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth P. Martin, Chief Counsel, 
Customer Protection and Privacy, 202-268-3022.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion of Amendments

    The Postal Service is revising ASM section 274.5, Disclosure of 
Information Collected From Mail Sent or Received by Customers, to 
designate two additional circumstances in which the Postal Service may 
collect images of live mail for specified purposes. Specifically, we:
     Added section 274.5(f)(9) to allow for developing, 
testing, and improving recognition and processing capabilities without 
getting written approval from the Chief Postal Inspector. This change 
facilitates the use of test decks for purposes of testing and 
calibrating enhanced processing technology.
     Added section 274.5(i) to allow the Postal Service to 
collect images of mail for the purpose of ensuring the health and 
safety of its employees and the public.
     Clarified that any images collected for operational 
purposes by the Postal Service may not be used for criminal 
investigative purposes, unless law enforcement officials comply with 
the procedures in ASM 213 regarding mail covers.
     Made technical amendments to replace the words 
``photocopy'' or ``picture'' with the word ``image'', to encompass all 
the ways to create an image of a piece of mail.
     Created a new part 274.51, Disclosure of Information from 
Contents of Sealed Mail, to separate the limitations on uses for 
information obtained from the cover of mail from the limitations on the 
uses of information obtained from the contents of sealed mail. Sealed 
mail may be opened in mail recovery centers only for the purpose of 
obtaining an address to where the mail may be delivered. The new 
section 274.51 makes no changes to the limitations on other uses of 
that information.

Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 02-8361 Filed 4-5-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P