(Mis)Uses of Technology

(Mis)Uses of Technology

by Mike Masnick




Will Your Stamps Identify You?

from the probably-will-cost-more-than-$0.37 dept

Apparently, the US Postal service, trying to remain relevant in an age of email and overnight courier services, is taking a backwards step. They're investigating the idea of developing "sender identification technology". The idea is really designed to stop people from sending things anonymously because, apparently, anonymous is "bad" and could indicate that you're a terrorist. They envision personalized stamps that act as an identifier for who you are. This, of course, will only add to the expense of sending mail, but will do absolutely nothing to stop "bad" things from being sent. First, it will just make criminals use other means of communication, to avoid the US mail. Second, if someone absolutely must use the USPS, they'll simply steal someone else's personalized stamps. So, no benefits, and plenty of costs. Sounds like a great solution.

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