The USPS is piloting an electronic postmark to fill the large gap between garden-variety e-mail and the end-to-end security offered by the few state-endorsed PKI systems.
So whats the value of a postmark, anyway? For Melvin Milligan, it was worth $23.7 million. Milligan recently had a winning "Big Game" New Jersey lottery ticket. He put the ticket in the mail two days before the game expired. It arrived after the expiration date, but the postmark was scrutinized, declared valid, and Milligan collected. The point, said Leo J. Campbell, e-commerce corporate and business development director of the USPS, is that the humble postmark is a trusted symbol backed by the federal government.
So, for instance, when a citizen renews a vehicle registration online, the state DMV e-mails the customer a postmarked receipt that can be shown to a policeman if asked to verify the registration. "The electronic postmark affixes a trusted time and date stamp," said Campbell. "A mathematical hash provides tamper detection of the file contents. The USPS digitally signs the file, time and date stamp and hash using digital signature technology. It does not require the sender to use or maintain a digital signature. USPS securely archives a copy of the electronic postmark to provide a reliable electronic record and audit trail."
Campbell said the electronic postmark has nothing to do with the rumors that periodically circulate about the USPS wanting to charge for e-mail. "Ninety-nine percent of Internet traffic doesnt need a postmark," he said, explaining that for some types of transactions -- such as online regulatory submissions, workflow and document management, FOIA message tracking, dispute resolutions, archiving and records certification -- it is perfect. He said the USPS doesnt archive the message contents, and the postmark will provide confidence in digital government transactions.
Backing that confidence are federal statutes on wire fraud that pack heavy penalties. Though the postmark is still in pilot and has yet to be tested in court, Campbell is confident it will withstand scrutiny.
Currently, the USPS has two systems of accessing the Electronic Postmark. Remote access is obtained via a Digex server farm in Greenbelt, Md. Another system is for organizations to have a postmark server within their own firewalls. Both methods are being tested. Financial services, healthcare and government are key markets for the postmark, said Campbell.
For more information, contact Campbell at:
