39 USC 412: Records containing lists of postal customers

About This Project

This project uses data compiled by the Sunshine in Government initiative, a coalition of journalism and transparency groups. SGI compiled data from federal agency annual FOIA reports to track how often b(3) exemptions were used. SGI also standardized the exemptions since some agencies used slightly different citations of the same laws. In some cases, agencies listed general laws without specifying a section under which information was withheld. This project does not include information from agencies that use no b(3) exemptions in 2008 or 2009. ProPublica compiled information about FOIA denials.

Department	Claims
United States Postal Service	12.0

      
 
                        TITLE 39--POSTAL SERVICE
 
                             PART I--GENERAL
 
                      CHAPTER 4--GENERAL AUTHORITY

             
          Sec. 412. Nondisclosure of lists of names and addresses

    (a) Except as specifically provided by subsection (b) or other law, 
no officer or employee of the Postal Service shall make available to the 
public by any means or for any purpose any mailing or other list of 
names or addresses (past or present) of postal patrons or other persons.
    (b) The Postal Service shall provide to the Secretary of Commerce 
for use by the Bureau of the Census such address information, address-
related information, and point of postal delivery information, including 
postal delivery codes, as may be determined by the Secretary to be 
appropriate for any census or survey being conducted by the Bureau of 
the Census. The provision of such information under this subsection 
shall be in accordance with such mutually agreeable terms and 
conditions, including reimbursability, as the Postal Service and the 
Secretary of Commerce shall deem appropriate.

(Pub. L. 91-375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 727; Pub. L. 103-430, Sec. 4, 
Oct. 31, 1994, 108 Stat. 4394.)
                               Amendments

    1994--Pub. L. 103-430 substituted ``(a) Except as specifically 
provided by subsection (b) or other law,'' for ``Except as specifically 
provided by law,'' and added subsec. (b).
                             Effective Date

    Section effective July 1, 1971, pursuant to Resolution No. 71-9 of 
the Board of Governors. See section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91-375, set out as 
a note preceding section 101 of this title.