Date: Fri, 2 Apr 93 21:28:37 MST
From: mrosen@NYX.CS.DU.EDU(Michael Rosen)
Subject: File 5--USPS Freedom of Information Act Requests

In issue #42 of Phrack there was an article about the USPS'
practice
of selling change of address information without consumer consent. 
I
sent the supplied form letter and carbon copied my congressman and
senators.  Today I received a reply from the USPS Records Office.

   April 1, 1993

   Dear Mr. Rosen:

   This concerns your recent Privacy Act request for accountings of
   disclosure of mail forwarding information you have provided to
   the Postal Service.

   Disclosure of your forwarding address might have been made to
   individual requesters by post offices or to subscribers to the
   National Change of Address File (NCOA) by an NCOA licensee.  The
   NCOA is a consolidated file of all forwarding information
   provided by postal customers and stored on automated media.
   Listholders may subscribe to NCOA to obtain the new addresses of
   individuals for whom they already have in their possession the
   old address.

   For disclosures made by post offices, we are in the process of
   querying the Washington, DC postmaster for any accountings.

   For disclosures made from the NCOA system, we will begin
querying
   NCOA licensees all of which keep logs identifying the particular
   subscribers to whom they have given NCOA information.  This
   accounting will not identify with certainty the subscribers who
   have in fact received your new address, but will give you a list
   of all subscribers receiving NCOA service for the relevant time
   period and thus might have received your address.

   Because a large number of requests like yours are being
received,
   there will be a delay in responding.  Requests are being
   processed in order of receipt and you will be sent the
   accountings as soon as possible.  Your patience is appreciated.

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