Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!usc!ucsd!ogicse!milton!cyberoid
From: cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Post Office plans to sell address databases.
Summary: Post Office plans to assign address coordinates, issue lists.
Message-ID: <12972@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 14 Dec 90 01:09:42 GMT
Organization: Human Interface Technology Lab, Univ. of Wash., Seattle
Lines: 21


Today's WALL STREET JOURNAL carries an alarming story about U.S. Post
Office plans to begin selling a national address directory.  At first,
only addresses will be available.  However, there are plans afoot to
add names at some later date.

The ostensible purpose of this is to make direct mail more efficient,
so that the six percent of direct mail that now gets returned is
redirected, so to speak.  But the outcome could be the postal analog
of Caller ID:  instead of being dossiered on the basis of your
telephone number, you will have dossiers about you built around your
mailing patterns.  Once the Caller ID and address dossiers are
combined, the crosshairs will be on you.  Accurate.  Revealing.  Direct.

The article speaks of a subsequent plan, one that assigns distinct 
numbers to each address for the purpose of permitting people to put
together personal mailing lists, "for Christmas cards, for example."
Right.  That's why the direct marketing people are salivating all
over the JOURNAL's pages....

Bob Jacobson