USPS shared customer postal addresses with Meta, LinkedIn and Snap (techcrunch.com)

Article summary

The US Postal Service (USPS) was found to be sharing customer postal addresses with tech giants Meta, LinkedIn, and Snap through hidden data-collecting code on its website. The issue was discovered by TechCrunch and has since been addressed by the USPS, which claims it was unaware of the practice. The data collected included postal addresses of logged-in USPS Informed Delivery customers, as well as other information such as browser type and tracking numbers. The USPS has taken action to remediate the issue, but it is unclear how many individuals were affected or for how long.

Main themes

• Data privacy
• Government surveillance
• Tech company practices
• USPS operations
• Online tracking
• Government agency accountability

What commenters say

• Government sites should not load third-party content to protect user privacy and security.
• The USPS is not a traditional government agency and should not be expected to operate like one due to its self-funded nature.
• The use of tracking pixels is a significant threat to online privacy and should be banned or heavily regulated.
• CDNs can pose a risk to user privacy, but there are potential mitigations such as requiring resources to match a specified cryptographic hash before running.
• Caching resources across sites can be a privacy risk, but some commenters argue that it could also improve web performance and reduce tracking.
• The USPS's practice of sharing customer data with tech companies is a symptom of a larger problem of government agencies prioritizing revenue over user privacy.
• Some commenters argue that the USPS is not solely to blame for the issue, as tech companies also have a responsibility to protect user data and adhere to privacy policies.
• There is a need for greater transparency and accountability in how government agencies and tech companies handle user data.