Beyond delivering mail, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is now testing cameras on some of its delivery trucks to record routes and collect data about roads and other infrastructure.
404 Media reported Wednesday that USPS recently sent a letter to the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) notifying the union of a new pilot that is testing cameras in delivery vehicles. The letter was later posted to Facebook by an NALC branch in Ohio.
USPS is partnering with dashcam company Nextbase to equip 100 delivery vehicles with cameras in the Washington, D.C. area, according to the letter.
Nextbase’s website says its dashcams can record in 4K and capture precise details like road signs and license plates. However, the cameras being tested by USPS do not run controversial automatic license plate reader software, according to 404 Media. Instead, the letter says they will scan and analyze roads, signage, and sidewalks.
“The purpose of this pilot is to leverage the Postal Service’s unique ability to collect this valuable data due to the scale and frequency with which our fleet of postal vehicles travel the streets of every community across the country,” the agency said in the letter.
The USPS isn’t the only government service turning its vehicles into mobile cameras. Earlier this year, the city of Dallas partnered with City Detect to put AI-powered cameras on garbage trucks that scan properties and assign them a blight score. Roughly 1,800 “courtesy notices” had been sent to owners of lower-scoring properties as of early September. City Detect also works with at least 16 other cities across the United States.
This growing use of government vehicles as mobile data-collection platforms comes as automatic license plate readers face mounting backlash around the country. These camera systems sold by companies like Flock Safety and Axon scan license plates as vehicles pass, collecting vehicle information along with the time and location they were spotted. Police can then search that data during investigations.
Privacy advocates have warned that the cameras collect location data on millions of people who are not suspected of crimes, often without a warrant, probable cause, or reasonable suspicion.
The backlash has been particularly intense against Flock. Some cities have already cut ties with the company, while protesters elsewhere have taken matters into their own hands by tearing down cameras.
USPS and Nextbase did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s requests for comment. However, a USPS spokesperson told 404 Media that the agency “is conducting a limited pilot to assess whether vehicle-mounted cameras can help identify roadway conditions and support community safety.”
The spokesperson added that the pilot includes privacy safeguards and that its findings will inform any future decisions.
The pilot began Sept. 21 and is expected to run for several months.
