Invisible Privacy | Online Privacy

My local postmaster once warned me that I will have more trouble sending things to Canada than to any other country in the western world but I paid little attention. However, that changed when Mark Nestmann, author of The Lifeboat Strategy, e-mailed this reference to me: http://admin.siue.edu/postal/postal_regs.htm. In the quotation below, I underline the scariest part:

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS: Addressee and Sender's MUST be spelled out with full first and last names. Using "Grandma" or "Uncle" is not acceptable. The complete address of the sender, including ZIP code and country of origin, must be shown in the upper left hand corner of the address side of the package, envelope or card. Addressee to recipients in Canada MUST be printed - preferably in ink or typewritten -- using capital letters.

Could this be true? I immediately sent letters to Canadian friends from Ontario to the Yukon with no return address. All were received, but how long will this last?

Suggestion: When mailing a letter to Canada, use a return address other than your own. Some may choose to use a fake address but I do not recommend it. If a letter is not going to be delivered, I wish to know that, and the only way to know it is to have the letter returned. For sensitive mail, therefore, I use one of the ghost addresses listed on my website. My favorite is the one in the Canary Islands.

Labels: anonymous mail, Canada post, foreign mail drop, ghost address, return address

Personally, I use a ghost address in Spain’s Canary Islands, as do many of my friends. However, any foreign address will do as long as it is a legitimate address where incoming letters can either be sent on to you or scanned and transmitted via e-mail.

1. HOME PRIVACY

To keep your home address private, never include it on your letterheads or business cards. However, you may need to include a mailing address in case someone decides to send you a letter (or a check!). Therefore, list your foreign ghost address.

2. VEHICLE PRIVACY

Title your car in the name of a limited liability company and give the LLC a “principal place of business” in a foreign land. If you later lend your car to someone who gets a serious citation (such as for outrunning the police!) and doesn’t tell you, at least it will not be traced back to you.

3. MAIL PRIVACY

Foreign mail (such as from a Muslim country or from a bank in Liechtenstein) may draw undesired attention to you. Therefore, have all such mail sent to your foreign address. It can then be scanned and e-mailed to you.

PRIVACY BONUS

If you list a principal place of business overseas, a U.S. subpoena demanding all records cannot be served at that address.

Labels: canary islands, foreign address, foreign mail drop, ghost address, overseas mail, secret mail