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    The Modern Wisdom of Epostmarks

    Entries in USPS (6)

    Tuesday
    Nov242009

    Epostmarks Launches Postmarked Email

    DateTuesday, November 24, 2009 at 08:00AM

    New Email Service Offers Protection from U.S. Postal Service  

    ROCHESTER, New York - November 24, 2009 - Epostmarks today introduced Postmarked Email, which combines the protection of the U.S. Postal Service® (Postal Service™) with Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail platform. Postmarked Email safeguards email messages using United States Postal Service Electronic Postmark® (USPS EPM®) technology; an auditable time-and-date stamping service that verifies the authenticity of electronically transmitted documents and files. The combination of CertifiedEmail and EPM® provides legally compliant email messaging, and is fully protected by the Postal Service, the most trusted U.S. government agency.  The business benefits also include cost savings, improved green score cards, and increased consumer trust in online communications.

    Nearly 75 percent of all U.S. citizens are now online, making business-related email convenient for most people, especially for transactional messages such as bills, statements, and notifications. Until now, use of email messaging for private and business matters has largely been avoided due to inherent trust problems related to electronic transmission of private or sensitive messages. With the increasing amount of client communications required by federal laws regulating the financial services, telecommunications, and utilities industries, there exists a significant market need for a trusted electronic delivery method.

    “Postmarked Email lets you send email with all the confidence of paper mail” said Jason Curtis, CEO of Epostmarks, Inc. “By combining the legal strength and enforcement of the U.S. Postal Service with Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail platform, a new benchmark for trust has been established in email.”

    Postmarked Email appears with CertifiedEmail’s widely recognized Blue Ribbon icon in a user's email inbox, and allows protected email to display the widely recognized Postal Service™ eagle logo, enabling users to easily identify Postal Service™ protected email. Electronically tampering with USPS EPM® protected email carries a similar penalty to tampering with traditional mail. By extending legal protections and enforcement to email that are commonly found with traditional mail service, Postmarked Email sets the stage for a new era of greater trust in email messages.

    We are very excited to work with Epostmarks who created such an innovative application of the Electronic Postmark with Goodmail Systems,” said Gregory S. Crabb, Inspector in Charge, Revenue Fraud and Cyber Intelligence, U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “With the federal authority and protection of the Postal Service, Postmarked Email will bring a new level of trust to electronic communications, ensuring a safer online experience for U.S. citizens.”

    Email as a business and transactional tool has traditionally lacked trust in the public eye due to phishers and hackers executing highly publicized online fraud. Postmarked Email eliminates fraud by sending a cryptographically secure token that ensures the authenticity of a message. And, the protection of the Postal Service™ adds a greater level of trust enabling a safe, secure method for digital communications. 

    “Consumer concerns around trust and privacy have slowed adoption of email as the primary way that businesses speak to their customers” said Peter Horan, CEO of Goodmail Systems. “But with EPM® technology, Postmarked Email solves these challenges, offering a comprehensive approach to security and trust that will allow businesses to reduce their cost of communications while also strengthening their relationship with their consumers.”

    Postmarked Email is available everywhere Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail is available (via AOL, Comcast, MySpace, Cox, Verizon, Yahoo and others).

    AuthorWebmaster | Comment29 Comments | Reference5 References
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    Wednesday
    Nov042009

    .POST sponsorship agreement available for public comment

    DateWednesday, November 4, 2009 at 01:37AM

    ICANN recently announced that an agreement with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) had been reached for the provision of the .POST TLD (top level domain). For those not familiar with the global postal industry, the UPU is responsible for setting the rules for the universal network of international postal mail exchanges. One of the world’s oldest intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), the UPU has made another significant step toward embracing and ultimately benefiting the global digital economy by recognizing the autonomy and mission of ICANN despite it's relative youth. 

    I've been hearing about this TLD for quite a few years now and am happy that .POST is likely here for good. The potential of this concept, while often exaggerated, is serious. .POST represents another method for Posts to establish trustworthy destinations online, further expanding their trusted framework for global exchange. The summary of contractual provisions references the UPU special status at ICANN. I find that juxtaposing this special status at ICANN with the special legal authority that Posts have in their native country makes this decision seem inevitable.

    Public comment on the idea is going on until the end of November. Check out the details and comment here: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-02nov09-en.htm


    AuthorAdam Grossman | Comment11 Comments | Reference1 Reference
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    Thursday
    Jan292009

    EPM goes to Washington

    DateThursday, January 29, 2009 at 10:37PM

    This week Postmaster General Jack Potter testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security (what a mouthful). Senator Tom Carper chairs the subcommittee and hails from Delaware.

    General Potter had two agenda items of serious import:

    1. He requested the ability to begin 5-day delivery
    2. He requested a restructuring of the USPS requirement to prefund future retiree benefits

    These agenda items received a bulk of the allotted time (transcripts) although one quote from Potter struck me as notable. He predicted that "Revenue growth that is based on business growth...is also a key element that is necessary for our long term viability."

    Apparently Mr. Carper heard the same quote because near the end of the hearing he asked a series of probing questions about potential business growth opportunities including a very intriguing question about the EPM. Listen to this short segment from the hearing:

     

    You see, Delaware has done some trailblazing when it comes to the EPM. As Senator Carper eluded, earlier this year the Delaware legislature unanimously passed an amendment to their UETA statute giving electronic messages protected by an EPM the legal equivalence to physical mail (stay tuned for a post explaining this in more detail).

    The folks from Delaware have identified that this program provides an amazing opportunity to leverage the trust of the USPS outside of the traditional logistics business. I believe that the USPS entered the market incorrectly--twice, but that three is a charm--when they chose single vendors to provision the service. They have finally come up with an industry supported model that promises to overcome the earlier challenges.

    I'm happy to hear the General Potter intends to continue pursuing growth of the EPM program. I believe that it represents an ideal way for the USPS to remain relevant in a world where the communications mix skews heavily electronic. What other opportunities are available to grow revenues with such a low cost basis?

    I think we'll hear more about this. Senator Carper's closing comments indicated that "mostly I want to focus on opportunities that are out there for growth and growing revenues and some that are going well and maybe a couple that we have touched on here today as possibilities."

    The next hearing should take place before March so stay tuned. 

    Postmaster General Potter Senate Testimony

    AuthorAdam Grossman | CommentPost a Comment | Reference1 Reference
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    Monday
    Dec222008

    No News Like Good News

    DateMonday, December 22, 2008 at 09:59AM

    While fleeing 8 ½ inches of Rochester snow—which would turn into 15 inches before the storm blew over—I received notice from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) indicating their authorization for the Electronic Postmark (EPM) service to continue. December 19, 2008 will live in the annals of Epostmarks history as major victory and turning point in our development.

    The decision came after a difficult proceeding where a small, albeit vociferous, cadre of time stampers argued that the EPM unfairly competed with their business. By garnering support from industry (including Microsoft, Goodmail, Striata, GovDelivery, and Iconix) and government (including legislators from Delaware and Maryland) we were able to overcome these objections.

    After a full debate spanning nearly a year, the Commission established foundational concepts regarding the EPM which put to rest questions asked of me previously by customers, investors, and others. Firstly, they recognize that within the private sector “[no business] has the trustworthiness associated with the Postal Service’s brand; and none has the law enforcement capabilities”. Additionally, they recognize the strategic benefit of the EPM indicating that it “provides a technological platform that may serve as a foundation for digital applications offering the trust of the Postal Service”. These conclusions from a Federal regulatory body confirm what we already knew—that the role of the USPS brand in the electronic world includes all of the trustworthiness and enforcement capabilities of the physical world.

    PAEA (pronounced "paella"; short for Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act...more) resulted in the legislative branch exerting influence on the future of USPS. With this decision,the executive branch explicitly recognizes the EPM is part of that future and establishes a firm standing for both regulatory and legislative support.

    My team at Epostmarks has spent a number of years positioning ourselves to leverage this decision into a successful enterprise. The USPS now has a clear path to move forward and our commitment to the platform will enable quick action.

    2009 is shaping up to be a great year!

    AuthorAdam Grossman | CommentPost a Comment | Reference1 Reference
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    Thursday
    Oct302008

    New Best Practices for Domain Registrars

    DateThursday, October 30, 2008 at 12:03PM

    The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) published a list of best practices for registrars of domain names that, if adopted, will make it harder for Phishers to register and use domains for fraudulent purposes.

    I found the most interesting of these recommendations to "Share fraudulent domain registration information with law‐enforcement". This may seem like a no brainer but a few difficulties arise when considering this recommendation.

    The first difficulty is that the information associated with domain registration transactions isn't often captured. In days gone by there was no need to store items like the originating IP address or the time it takes to fill out a form--to identify automated form-filling scripts--just to process a domain registration.

    The second difficulty is knowing an appropriate law enforcement organization to share the information with. In today's era of terrorism threats and homeland security the FBI for example doesn't have enough bandwidth to effectively deal with these types of investigations. An ideal group to deal with some of these communication based issues is the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. They have a long history of effectively countering communication based frauds and swindles. This expertise is one of the most exciting parts of the Electronic Postmark program.

    Another notable item is that the APWG is developing an accreditation process for Phishing site takedown providers. This interesting concept could go a long way to assisting expedient remediation of events when they occur. Unfortunately, a process like this doesn't help when it comes to prevention which I believe is where the real value lies.

    AuthorAdam Grossman | CommentPost a Comment | Reference1 Reference
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