You’ve Got Government-Certified Mail

The U.S. Postal Service has launched an electronic version of Certified Mail
aimed at letting government agencies send and receive secure documents over
the Internet.

The technology, called NetPost.Certified, was developed with management and
technical support from AT&T Corp., IBM and Keycorp Ltd., an Australian
software developer.

First to use the new service will be the Social Security Administration,
which will receive data on vital statistics from state governments.

The new service, basically an electronic version of Certified Mail, uses
passwords and ID cards embedded with computer chips to provide proof that a
document arrived safely in the hands of the intended recipient. The system
will cost 50 cents per use, regardless of the size of the transmission, the
Postal Service said.

Deputy Postmaster General John Nolan was quoted as saying the system should
speed up government services and cut down on paperwork.

The Postal Service
estimates usage of NetPost.Certified could reach 6 billion transactions each
year, Stephen Kearney, USPS senior vice president for corporate and business
development, told Bloomberg News.