Effective February 19, 2015, the Postal Service™ is revising Handbook AS-353, Guide to Privacy, the Freedom of Information Act, and Records Management, to include modifications published in the Federal Register on May 1, 2014 (79 FR 24759–24762).
To support the enforcement of U.S. Customs, export control, and export statistics laws and support processes related to the international exchange of mail and mail operations, the Postal Service is amending system of records (SOR) 900.000 International Services, and is establishing a new SOR, 900.100 Customs Data Received from Foreign Posts:
n SOR 900.000 is being amended to allow collection of additional types of shipment-specific information that are supplied by customers; information from customers receiving items shipped to or from international locations; disclosure to export control, customs agencies, and postal operators; and to clarify that records may be retrieved by any information supplied by the customer on customs forms. Collectively, these changes are intended to enhance the Postal Service’s role in facilitating the movement of cross-border mail, while ensuring that customs and export requirements, as well as governmental objectives for trade statistics reporting, are fulfilled. Technical corrections are also being made to the sections on legal authority and system managers.
n SOR 900.100 Customs Data Received from Foreign Posts will facilitate agreements with foreign postal operators that will permit parties to the agreements (i.e., postal operators) to exchange information on international shipments. SOR 900.100 will allow the Postal Service to receive and maintain electronic information supplied by foreign posts on mailings sent from foreign jurisdictions to domestic recipients. To facilitate enforcement of domestic customs laws and regulations, the Postal Service intends to disclose such information to domestic customs officials, subject to the conditions of any agreement between the Postal Service and a foreign postal operator transmitting customs data to the Postal Service.
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Handbook AS-353, Guide to Privacy, the Freedom of Information Act, and Records Management
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Appendix — Privacy Act Systems of Records
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Section E. Complete Text of Systems of Records
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USPS 900.000
System Name:
[Revise text to read as follows:]
USPS International Services.
Categories of Individuals Covered by the System
[Revise text to read as follows:]
USPS customers shipping to or from international locations. Customers receiving items shipped to or from international locations.
Categories of Records in the System
[Revise the text of bullets 3 and 4 to read as follows:]
3. Information pertaining to mailings: Information supplied through customs declaration forms: contents, quantity, order number, volume, destination, weight, country of origin, value, Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) Tariff number, license or certificate number, Automated Export System (AES) internal transaction number or exemption, signature, date, postage and fees, and type of mailing.
4. Customs barcode scan data.
Authority for Maintenance of the System
[Revise text to read as follows:]
39 U.S.C. 401, 403, 404, and 407; 13 U.S.C. 301–307; Section 343(a) of the Trade Act of 2002, P.L. 107–210, and 50 U.S.C. 1702.
Purpose(s)
[Revise the text of bullets 4 and 5 to read as follows:]
4. To satisfy reporting requirements for customs purposes.
5. To support enforcement of U.S. customs, export control, and export statistics laws.
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Routine Uses of Records in the System, Including Categories of Users and the Purposes of Such Uses
[Revise the text of item a to read as follows:]
a. Customs declaration records may be disclosed to domestic export control and customs agencies and foreign customs agencies and postal operators, as well as intermediary companies involved in electronic data exchanges.
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Retrievability
[Revise text to read as follows:]
By customer name(s) or address(es) (sender or recipient), ID number(s), information supplied through customs declaration forms, and barcode tracking number(s).
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System Manager(s) and Address
[Revise address to read as follows:]
Vice President, Network Operations, United States Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC 20260.
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[Add new SOR 900.100 to read as follows:]
USPS 900.100
System Name:
Customs Data Received from Foreign Posts.
System Location
USPS Headquarters, Integrated Business Solutions Services Centers, and USPS facilities.
Categories of Individuals Covered by the System
Customers shipping from international locations. Customers receiving items shipped from international locations.
Categories of Records in the System
1. The S10 13-character item identifier or any bilaterally agreed identifier.
2. The full name and postal address of the mailer.
3. The name and postal address of the intended recipient.
4. The gross weight of the item.
5. The total value of the item with the currency used.
6. The nature of the content (gift, document, a commercial sample, or some other content).
7. For each distinct type of content of the item: its description, the quantity and unit of measurement, its value, and its net weight.
8. For commercial items: the HS tariff number, the country of origin of the goods.
9. For items that require a Universal Postal Union (UPU) customs declaration form CN23: the importer’s reference and details; the type and identifier of each document accompanying the item (invoice, certificate, license, authorization for goods subject to quarantine or other documents depending on the content and origin and destination of the item); other information and observations provided by the mailer and relevant for customs control, including, but not limited to, information about quarantine restrictions and the numbers of any licenses related to the item.
Authority for Maintenance of the System
39 U.S.C. 401, 404, and 407; Section 343(a) of the Trade Act of 2002, P.L. 107-210, and international agreements or regulations.
Purpose(s)
1. To collect data necessary for customs purposes.
2. To support processes related to the international exchange of mail.
3. To support operational purposes.
Routine Uses of Records in the System, Including Categories of Users and the Purposes of Such Uses
Standard routine uses 1. through 7., 10., and 11. In addition:
Customs declaration records may be disclosed to domestic customs officials. When USPS has executed an agreement with a foreign postal operator for the exchange of customs declaration records, discretionary routine use disclosures for records exchanged in accordance with the agreement may be further restricted to the extent provided by the agreement.
Policies and Practices for Storing, Retrieving, Accessing, Retaining, and Disposing of Records in the System Storage
Automated databases, computer storage media, and digital and paper files.
Retrievability
1. The S10 13-character item identifier or any bilaterally agreed identifier.
2. The full name and postal address of the mailer.
3. The name and postal address of the intended recipient.
4. The gross weight of the item.
5. The total value of the item with the currency used.
6. The nature of the content (gift, document, a commercial sample, or some other content).
7. For each distinct type of content of the item: its description, the quantity and unit of measurement, its value, and its net weight.
8. For commercial items: the HS tariff number, the country of origin of the goods.
9. For items that require a Universal Postal Union (UPU) customs declaration form CN23: the importer’s reference and details; the type and identifier of each document accompanying the item (invoice, certificate, license, authorization for goods subject to quarantine or other documents depending on the content and origin and destination of the item); other information and observations provided by the mailer and relevant for customs control, including, but not limited to, information about quarantine restrictions and the numbers of any licenses related to the item.
Safeguards
Paper records, computers, and computer storage media are located in controlled-access areas under supervision of program personnel. Access to these areas is limited to authorized personnel, who must be identified with a badge.
Access to records is limited to individuals whose official duties require such access. Contractors and licensees are subject to contract controls and unannounced on-site audits and inspections.
Computers are protected by mechanical locks, card key systems, or other physical access control methods. The use of computer systems is regulated with installed security software, computer logon identifications, and operating system controls including access controls, terminal and transaction logging, and file management software.
Retention and Disposal
Customs declaration records stored in electronic data systems are retained 5 years, and then purged according to the requirements of domestic and foreign customs services.
Records existing on computer storage media are destroyed according to the applicable USPS media sanitization practice.
System Manager(s) and Address
Vice President, Network Operations, United States Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC 20260.
Notification Procedure
Customers wanting to know if other information about them is maintained in this system of records must address inquiries in writing to the system manager, and include their name and address.
Record Access Procedures
Requests for access must be made in accordance with the Notification Procedure above and USPS Privacy Act regulations regarding access to records and verification of identity under 39 CFR 266.6.
Contesting Record Procedures
See Notification Procedure and Record Access Procedures above.
Record Source Categories
Customers and USPS personnel.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of Handbook AS-353, Guide to Privacy, the Freedom of Information Act, and Records Management, which is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.
n Click HBKs.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Privacy Office,
General Counsel and Executive VP, 2-19-15
