If you think safeguarding sensitive USPS® information is just about a compliance requirement, you’d be wrong. Protecting sensitive information is a fundamental responsibility for all USPS personnel as it helps our organization maintain trust, reduce risk, and support a safer digital system for all.
Sensitive and sensitive-enhanced data — including proprietary, operational, financial, legal, payment card, and personally identifiable information — must be handled securely, especially when sharing with our external partners via email.
Adding #sensitiive# to the subject line of any email automatically encrypts it and any attached documents by placing them on a secure, web-based server that the external recipient can access.
Therefore, when sending external emails containing sensitive or sensitive-enhanced information, USPS employees and contractors must:
n Apply. Type #sensitive# in the email subject line, confirming the correct spelling.
n Attach. Ensure the proper documentation is included and that it’s not password protected.
n Review. Check that no personal email accounts are included in the distribution lines. Employees or contractors sending others’ personally identifiable information to personal accounts will receive a policy violation.
n Verify. Confirm recipient received an email titled “USPS Secured Message,” which contains a secure link to access the correspondence.
Remember, responsible sharing protects everyone.
For more information about secure send, go to the External Information Sharing on Blue at blue.usps.gov/cyber/sensitive-external.htm.
— Corporate Information Security Office,
Chief Information Officer, 3-19-26
