FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Greg Frey
Friday, December 20, 2002	202-268-2168
	202-268-2155
	Release No:  98
	www.usps.com

POSTAL SERVICE STRENGTHENS CUSTOMER PRIVACY PROTECTION;
REORGANIZES PRIVACY ACT SYSTEMS OF RECORDS

WASHINGTON, DC - To increase the privacy protections it offers customers, the U.S. Postal Service this week announced it has completely reorganized its customer-related Privacy Act systems of records.
The Privacy Act of 1974 requires federal agencies to publish detailed notices describing the safeguards used to ensure the privacy of personal information maintained in systems of records.  The notice describing the revised systems for Postal Service customers was published in the Monday, December 16, 2002, edition of the Federal Register.
According to Zoë Strickland, chief privacy officer for the Postal Service, the new systems are designed to provide customers with a comprehensive view of Postal Service privacy and data management practices.
The new systems have been updated for accuracy; clarity; inclusion of more programs; inclusion of all customers; more standardized data practices; and incorporation of trends in marketing, information technology, and privacy.  The systems are also organized into more useful categories and are written in plain English.
"It was a year-long process that illustrates the high standards for privacy the Postal Service sets for its customers," said Strickland.
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