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a minor's mail by listing the name(s) and

executive suite. The latter usually provides ten-

age(s) . . . of the minor(s)."15 Thus, if a parent

ants with an operator to take telephone calls, a

were to use a box for business purposes, a

location for delivery of mail and packages, and

stalker would be able to obtain information

perhaps a small office with access to office

about potential victims.

equipment. Where mail delivery is concerned,

The prospective privacy problems of new

the only difference between an executive suite

CMRA rules must also be seen in light of the

and a private mailbox is the size of the rented

Postal Service's plans to map Internet

space and the cost of the rent. Although there

addresses with physical addresses and, pre-

are no good figures on how many individuals

sumably, private and P.O. box addresses.

rent such services, the Executive Suite

Internet privacy is a major concern of mil-

Association, which makes no claim to repre-

lions of Americans, as well as members of

sent all similar enterprises, has approximately

Congress and various federal regulatory

1,000 members with about 50 tenants each, or

agencies. Individuals who are online often

a total of 50,000 tenants.

want to remain anonymous. They want to

Until now, such offices have not been sub-

shield themselves and their children from

jected to the same regulations as CMRAs. But

those who might seek them out in their

that is about to change. In an April 29, 1999,

The release of

homes. There are now online enterprises that

memo to USPS vice presidents and operations

personal informa-

specialize in allowing individuals to surf the

district managers, Patricia M. Gilbert, the

Net without revealing personal information.

USPS vice president for retail, notes the exis-

tion is one of the

Recently Congress learned just how seri-

tence of

most serious

ously Americans take their privacy rights. The

problems with the

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation pro-

a number of non-traditional business-

posed rules that would have required bank

es that accept delivery of mail from

new regulations.

tellers to ask customers why they were making

the Postal Service for others, hold it

unusually large deposits or withdrawals and

for pickup, or remail it to another

where the money came from. The banks

address. . . . Examples of these busi-

would have been required to report "suspi-

nesses are 1) Corporate Executive

cious" activities to regulators. The stated pur-

Centers that also offer their cus-

pose of this "Know Your Customer" regula-

tomers a small suite, office or other

tion was to thwart money laundering and

workspace, as well as shared office ser-

other criminal activities. But the overwhelm-

vices such as mail receipt and remail-

ing outpouring of opposition from the public

ing, message centers, FAX and com-

and threats of action by Congress forced regu-

puter systems, conference rooms, and

lators to withdraw the rule. The Postal

secretarial services; 2) Storage busi-

Service's comparable new regulations to

nesses that offer their customer's [sic]

allegedly thwart criminal activities are being

storage space and private mailbox ser-

called "Son of Know Your Customer" on

vices; and 3) Businesses that offer mail

Capitol Hill and prompting a similar reaction.

forwarding and message services to

Perhaps that is why Postal Service officials on

clients that live and travel in recre-

ational vehicles.16

June 25 indicated a willingness to change the

rules.

According to that memo, the Postal Service

intends to subject those enterprises, which in

Expanding Powers

the past were not treated like CMRAs, to the

new private mailbox regulations. That is a sig-

nificant expansion of USPS power.

Many of the country's small businesses

Furthermore, few if any of those business-

rent private CMRA boxes because they cannot

es have been contacted by the Postal Service,

afford to rent a suite in an office building or an

8