Accessibility Note: Skip Repetitive Links
PC Postage™ Privacy Policy
THANK YOU for visiting the Postal Service's PC Postage Web site and reviewing our privacy commitment to you. Your privacy is of great importance to us and our Web site has been developed with that in mind. We recognize your right to know what information is being collected about you and how that information will be used, as well as our obligations to limit collection and protect what we do collect.
Privacy is essential to the integrity of PC Postage. While information is the foundation of our ability to provide exceptional service, our most important asset is our customers' trust. The Postal Service is committed to protecting your privacy rights when visiting our Web site or using PC Postage products.
We will not share the information you give us with anyone except in accordance with law and the routine uses listed in our Privacy Act Notice in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Under the Privacy Act, your personal information is maintained and protected in a system of record, which means that it will be secured in transit and once received. You will be provided a copy of our Privacy Act statement when you register to use PC Postage. Under the Privacy Act, we are barred from otherwise disclosing the information.
Information collected and stored automatically when you visit our Web site
Information collected by the Postal Service when you use an authorized PC Postage product
Information collected by your Product Service Provider when you use an authorized PC Postage product
Information collected and stored automatically when you visit our Web site
We will collect certain information about your visit automatically through the use of standard web server log files. This information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and store only the following information about your visit:
- The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our Web site;
- The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
- The date and time you access our site;
- The pages you visit;
- Referral statistics in cases where we have an ad banner placement or other linking agreement with an affiliate web site outside usps.com, as follows:
- If, as a result of clicking on a link from an affiliate site, you access or register with usps.com, we may record the identity of the affiliate site and that the referral occurred.
- If you click on a link to an affiliated web site from usps.com, we may record that the referral occurred.
The USPS does not under any circumstances attempt to link this data, including your Internet domain or IP address, with personally identifiable information.
We use this information to help us make our site more useful to visitors. We use it to learn about the number of visitors to the different sections of our site, what information is of most and least interest, and technical information that will enhance ease of use, such as the types of technology our visitors use and system performance or problem areas. We do not track or record information about individuals and their visits.
The PC Postage Web site does not use "cookies" or other devices that can allow the Web site to recognize or track individual's use of the site.
If you would like to ask us a question or express any concerns during your visit, please e-mail us at ibip@email.usps.gov. Written inquiries may be made to: Manager, Postage Technology Management, United States Postal Service, 1735 North Lynn Street, Room 5011, Arlington, Virginia, 22209-6050.
Information collected from e-mails and on-line forms
Our PC Postage Web site allows you to send us an e-mail. If your e-mail message includes personally identifiable information, as for example in an electronic mail message containing an inquiry, we will use that information to respond to your inquiry. We will preserve the content of your e-mail and address and our response so that we can more efficiently handle any follow-up questions you may have.
Remember that e-mail may not necessarily be secure against interception. If your e-mail communication is very sensitive, or includes information such as your bank account, charge card, or social security number, you should send it by mail unless the Web site indicates the particular site is secured. Written inquiries may be made to the Manager, Postage Technology Management, United States Postal Service, 1735 North Lynn Street, Room 5011, Arlington, Virginia, 22209-6050.
Information collected by the Postal Service when you use an authorized PC Postage product
When you sign up for a PC Postage product, the Postal Service requires your product service provider to collect certain information in order to register you as a user. The information collected includes your name and address, telephone number, estimated annual postage and annual percentage of mail by type, type of usage (customer, postal, or government), and post office where mail is entered. This information is used to register you as a PC Postage user. Providing your personal information is voluntary; however, if this information is not provided, you may not receive postage evidencing services.
Once you become a registered PC Postage user, your provider assigns a postage evidencing system to you. At the time of assignment the Postal Service requires the provider to collect and transmit to us the device identification number, the ascending and descending register values, device model number and certificate serial number. This information is used to track the location of all authorized products.
When you purchase and download postage to your PC Postage product, the only additional information collected by the Postal Service is the amount and date of your postage purchase. This information is used for accounting purposes.
If your PC Postage product includes the feature for verification of your destinating addresses against the Postal Service's Address Matching System (AMS), the Postal Service collects the date, destinating ZIP code, and rate category of each indicium created. The purpose of this information is to analyze usage of PC Postage products in the aggregate.
Information collected by your Product Service Provider when you use an authorized PC Postage product
PC Postage products are provided by private companies authorized by the Postal Service. These private companies, or product service providers, are required to collect information on behalf of the Postal Service and to transmit it to the Postal Service for the purposes indicated in the section above -- Information collected by the Postal Service when you use an authorized PC Postage product. The Postal Service does not require your product service provider to retain any personal information about you. If your provider chooses to retain any personal information, we require the provider to:
- issue a privacy policy that informs you of the information to be retained and its intended uses; and
- to offer you the option to not have your personal information shared with any other entity.
We suggest you also review the privacy policy of the product service provider prior to registering to use a PC Postage product.
Security practices for information collected
We will safeguard, according to strict standards of security and confidentiality, any information you share with us as a PC Postage customer. We require secure transactions associated with PC Postage. When you register online for PC Postage services with an authorized product service provider, you provide personal information that is necessary to process your request. To ensure that your personal information is confidential, your provider uses industry standard encryption software -- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or equivalent technology. The URL in your browser will change to "HTTPS" instead of "HTTP" when this security feature is invoked. Your browser may also display a lock symbol on its bottom task bar line to indicate invoked secure transmission.
To ensure that your personal information remains confidential, the information is sent to us via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Once received by the Postal Service, your personal information is stored in a password protected database accessible only by authorized personnel.
Security - Detection of unauthorized intrusions
For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this Government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits other than those uses identified in this policy. Intentional misuse of secure information will be investigated and may result in federal prosecution.
Your Access to Information Collected
We make every effort to ensure the data we collect is accurate, complete and timely. If you believe our data pertaining to you requires correction, you have the right to request a copy of the data and notify us of any corrections required. Requests for access must be made in writing to the Manager, Postage Technology Management, United States Postal Service, 1735 North Lynn Street, Room 5011, Arlington, Virginia, 22209-6050. When making a request, you should supply your name and registration number as it appears on your postage evidencing system license.
