A Washington Post investigation has uncovered that the US Postal Service (USPS) has been monitoring the mail of thousands of Americans each year for over a decade. This surveillance, known as the “mail covers program,” involves scrutinizing the exteriors of letters and parcels and sharing this information with police and national security agencies, including the IRS, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Since 2015, the USPS has received more than 60,000 requests from these agencies, with 97 percent of the requests being approved. These requests can cover days or weeks of mail sent to or from a specific person or address. Postal inspectors have recorded data from over 312,000 letters and packages between 2015 and 2023.

Despite calls from senators, including Rand Paul (R-KY), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), for greater transparency and judicial oversight, USPS officials have refused to change their policy. Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale defended the program, stating it supports national security efforts and claiming there is no expectation of privacy for information on the outside of mail.

Critics argue that the program violates privacy, with mail exteriors revealing sensitive personal information. Sen. Wyden highlighted the lack of warrant requirements for monitoring mail, contrasting it with the stricter standards for electronic communications.