When the Postal Service is a merchant, we use the following general criteria to select an affiliate to host a Postal Service link on a non-Postal Service Web site:
The affiliate must have a logical business relationship with the Postal Service. An affiliate has a logical business relationship with the Postal Service when it facilitates customer use of the Postal Service.
The affiliate must provide an economic benefit to the Postal Service by creating Web site traffic or revenue.
The merchant must publish and adhere to Internet best business practices for privacy and business policies and follow due care security standards on its Web sites. These requirements will be considered met by subscribing to and being in good standing with an independent third-party program from any of the following (or an equivalent policy or practice):
Government agencies that do not subscribe to any of the third-party programs listed must have security, privacy, and terms of use policies equivalent to the Postal Service’s policies.
As technology evolves during the life of the agreement, the affiliate must use accepted Internet industry standards for secure transactions. The affiliate must also protect the privacy of the customer’s personal information while the customer is on the affiliate’s Web site.
The affiliate must certify and, upon request, demonstrate that the interface between the Postal Service’s Web site and the affiliate’s Web site does not jeopardize, damage, or compromise the security of the Postal Service’s Web site and information technology operations.
The Postal Service’s brand makes its product and services unique to consumers, employees, and other constituents. Accordingly, we select affiliate links that do not weaken, dilute, damage, or harm the Postal Service’s brand or public image, by association, as determined at the sole discretion of the Postal Service.
We consider Web sites that contain any of the following content inappropriate:
Companies and individuals that are otherwise not qualified to contract with the Postal Service (i.e., have been suspended or debarred) are not eligible for an affiliation agreement.
