by Thomas NeuburgerThis is something most people are unaware of, so I thought I'd give it some publicity. I've known about this for a while, but only because its existence has come up while reading about other things.The U.S. Post Office, via its "Mail Cover" program, is an arm of the national security state. The Post Office routinely photographs the front and back of every envelope and package it processes, stores those images, and makes them available on demand to any agency that asks for them.The program has been in effect since 2000, according to the information below.Here's former CIA officer and whistle-blower John Kiriakou to explain:Neither Rain, Sleet, nor Snow Will Stop the Post Office From Spying on YouYou may remember that last year some nut was arrested for mailing bombs to prominent Democrats, media outlets, and opponents of Donald Trump. Less than a week after the bombs went out, a suspect was arrested. Almost immediately, video turned up of him at a Trump rally, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hate and chanting for the camera. He was soon tried, convicted, and jailed. End of story.But it wasn’t the end of the story. The investigation into the bomb incidents focused attention on an almost unknown federal surveillance program—one that poses a direct threat to the privacy and constitutional rights of every American. It’s called the “Mail Cover Program” and it’s run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Yes, even the Post Office is spying on us.The Mail Cover Program allows postal employees to photograph and send to federal law enforcement organizations (FBI, DHS, Secret Service, etc.) the front and back of every piece of mail the Post Office processes. It also retains the information digitally and provides it to any government agency that wants it—without a warrant.What is the Mail Cover Program? An initial search reveals this:Mail cover is defined by the U.S. Postal Regulations 39 CFR 233.3[2] and the Internal Revenue Manual[3] as follows: Mail cover is the process by which a nonconsensual record is made of any data appearing on the outside cover of sealed or unsealed mail; or by which a record is made of the contents of any unsealed mail, as allowed by law, to obtain information to protect national security; locate a fugitive; obtain evidence of the commission or attempted commission of a crime; obtain evidence of a violation or attempted violation of a postal statute; or assist in the identification of property, proceeds, or assets forfeitable under law.
According to official statistics obtained through a FOIA request by the National Law Journal, the number of mail covers in 1984 was 9,022 and increased to 14,077 in 2000.[7] Since 2001, the Postal Service has been effectively conducting mail covers on all American postal mail as part of the Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program.[1]