Security tip: Postmark your e-mail

From...

May 1, 2000
Web posted at: 9:12 a.m. EDT (1312 GMT)

by Natasha Haubold

(IDG) -- As electronic messaging continues to gain popularity over handwritten correspondence, the U.S. Postal Service hopes to maintain its tradition of providing secure delivery of information through its Electronic Postmark.

USPS' Electronic Postmark, released April 20, can be attached to any Internet communication and protects documents by detecting if a document or file has been tampered with in transit. The postmark also will make it easier to investigate and determine who tampered with a document and when.

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE

IDG.net home page

Federal Computer Week home page

Free Subscriptions to Federal Computer Week

IDG.net's personal news page

Managing e-mail

Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net

E-BusinessWorld

Year 2000 World

Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you

Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletters

Search IDG.net in 12 languages

News Radio

Fusion audio primers

Computerworld Minute

Similar to a receipt one receives when mailing a package, customers using the Electronic Postmark will be able to provide proof that a document existed at a specific time and date.

"The Electronic Postmark will give online communicators a little peace of mind and add a level of trust and security that Americans have come to expect from sending a regular hard-copy letter," deputy Postmaster General John Nolan said. "Today, the Postal Service brings our trademark values of security, trust and tradition to the brave new world of the Internet."

The Electronic Postmark is not a replacement for e-mail service, but rather an added feature that Internet service providers can offer customers, a USPS spokeswoman said. PostX Corp., a provider of applications for high-volume, secure Internet platforms, is the first commercial vendor to offer the Electronic Postmark to its customers.

"This is an innovative service that combines the integrity and protection of the Postal Service with the speed and convenience of the Internet," said R.C. Venkatraman, founder and chief executive officer of PostX.

AT&T readies outsourced e-mail, network services
January 26, 2000
Viasec, Elron team up on e-mail monitoring and security
January 7, 2000
Instant messaging's war of words
January 7, 2000
AOL blocks AT&T instant messaging
December 9, 1999
Rollout of AT&T fixed wireless looks slow
December 8, 1999
AT&T launches new contract bundle
November 12, 1999
Trouble with 10-10s?
November 5, 1999

USPS puts stamp on online billing
(FCW)
PC postage catches on
(IDC)
USPS gets smart with new mail tracking system
(FCW)
Postal Service delivers online
(InfoWorld)
USPS targets online shopping market
(FCW)
USPS delivers PC postage
(FCW)
Postal Service becomes a dot-com
(FCW)
Managing e-mail
(PC World)

U.S. Postal Service
PostX

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.