Employees may not compile or furnish restricted information for or otherwise assist publishers in compiling city directories for public use, nor request publishers to send free copies to them, nor accept any money or gratuity arising from publication of directories.
Employees in active status must not engage in campaigns for or against changes in mail service. This regulation must not be construed to infringe on the rights to participate in labor organizations.
It is unlawful for employees to give or receive payment, directly or indirectly, to affect an exchange of position in the same or different postal units, or any place in the public service. This offense is punishable by fine and imprisonment and disqualification from holding any office in the federal government.
Employees are prohibited from manufacturing or acting as the agent for a manufacturer of rural mailboxes.
Carriers must not loiter or stop for unnecessary conversation on their routes. Employees must not linger about cases or racks after their tours of duty have ended or report at cases or racks before their tours are scheduled to begin.
Employees must not engage in controversies with customers, railway employees, airline employees, or other members of the public while on duty or on federal property.
Title 18 U.S.C. 1701 provides penalties for persons who knowingly and willfully obstruct or retard the mail. The statute does not afford employees immunity from arrest for violations of law.
Postmasters and other field officials must not furnish postal information or testimonial statements or letters that purport to reflect postal needs to civic bodies or rail or air common carriers to be used in support of applications for new or additional common carrier service at a given community. Such requests for postal information must be referred to Headquarters. When there are justifiable reasons for recommending changes in transportation services, postmasters and other field officials must furnish a complete report to the proper official at Headquarters and then await specific instructions before engaging in any local activity or hearing relative to such changes.
During the course of activities related to postal employment, postal employees may not record, monitor, or otherwise intercept the oral or wire communications of any other person through the use of any electronic, mechanical, or other device, nor listen in on a telephone conversation, nor direct another to do so, unless all parties involved in the communication are made aware of and consent to such interception.
This prohibition does not apply to postal inspectors or Office of Inspector General investigators while acting in the course of their official duties, nor does it apply to authorized personnel conducting “Compliance and Monitoring” activities in accordance with Handbook AS–805, Information Security. All activity conducted in this area must be in accord with applicable federal statutes governing the interception of wire or oral communications by law enforcement officers.
Call monitoring programs may be established by postal management for legitimate business purposes, such as quality assurance and training. Call monitoring programs must comply with any applicable federal statutes and regulations.
For the purposes of 667.2, the terms oral communication, wire communication, intercept, and electronic, mechanical, or other device have the meanings used in 18 U.S.C. 2510.
Federal law and sound business practice require compliance with certain rules over the uses and protection of information and information processing resources owned by the Postal Service. These rules apply specifically to those types of Postal Service property emphasized in the definition at 669h. They are provided here for the information of current and former employees and also for use by management as a basis for ensuring compliance and taking disciplinary action, when appropriate. These rules supplement 667.18 and 667.21 referred to earlier in Section 661.2g.
Employees may not furnish to members of the public any Postal Service records or copies of records, or information taken from Postal Service records, including information contained in a computer system, unless it is a part of the duties of their position to do so. Decisions to withhold or disclose records and information must be consistent with applicable laws, Executive Orders, and Postal Service regulations and directives. Accordingly, the responsible official must consult with the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), managing counsel for the appropriate field legal office, or the general counsel if there is any question as to the appropriate course of action.
Disclosing nonpublic information about an individual to another person or organization not entitled by Postal Service regulations to the information, without the signed authorization from the individual, is prohibited under penalty of law. See Handbook AS–353, Guide to Privacy and the Freedom of Information Act.
Disclosing any information not available for public disclosure as described under ASM 824 and Handbook AS–353, Guide to Privacy and the Freedom of Information Act, Chapter 3, to any unauthorized person or organization is prohibited under penalty of law.
Use of Postal Service property (as defined in 669h) for personal enjoyment, private gain, or other unauthorized activity is prohibited, except that management at each Postal Service employment installation may permit employees to make limited personal use of postal office equipment, including information technology, (as defined in 669j). See Handbook AS–805, Information Security, Chapter 5, Acceptable Use.
Users will be held accountable for damage to postal property caused by negligence or intentionally destructive acts.
Bypassing or attempting to bypass established security controls in violation of the Administrative Support Manual (ASM), Chapter 8, is prohibited.
Use of postal equipment in violation or excess of 667.33 (Prohibited Uses) may result in limitations on future use, administrative action, disciplinary action, criminal penalty, and/or personal financial liability.
Employees must protect all information about individuals, customers, all other Restricted Information, and all National Security Information against unauthorized use and disclosure.
See 665.14.
