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They read our mail

A

Anonymous

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A dear friend of mine, whom I can obviously not name works for the Royal Mail. Recently he has been promoted and has been let in on the mother of all trade secrets. His superior took him to the basement of the sorting office where he works (he was unaware the building had a basement) and he was amazed by what he witnessed. Apparently, the Royal Mail employs hundreds of people to open, read, log and re-seal all mail sent to and from locations within the UK. My friend was told that every sorting office has a hidden area used for such a purpose and this is why first class mail takes longer than it should to be delivered.

Has anyone else heard anything similar to this?
 
that would probably explain why the speed of their service has deteriorated so much in recent years.
 
Oooh! The Nosey Pixies!

Just think of the amount of energy they must consume, in terms of steaming kettles alone! :eek:
 
Should be easily tested. Take one sheet of writing paper. Write a letter to yourself on it. Fold it, take one human hair and place inside letter. Seal in envelope, post to yourself. If the hair is gone when it gets there, it's possibly true.
 
Then we just sellotape everything - then let them try!
 
And what is meant to be the purpose of this? Are they meant to be reading EVERTHING, like telephone bills and stuff? What a dull job! I hope they read the one my mum sent me about her new sofa.;)
 
My friend obviously asked why they do this but they refused to tell him. He believes this is a post 9/11 thing.
 
I agree with the measures taken by the postal office. All evil groups know how easy it is to monitor e-mail, HAM radio and ultratooth transmissions so they will resort to basic paper based mail to plan their wicked ways.

At least we know that people are checking up this form of communication to keep up safe. I believe this story as a recent rather fruity package I received did appear to have been opened and enjoyed during transmission.
 
If I was going to plan a terrorist attack (which I'm not, I hasten to add before anyone sends the government goons after me) I wouldn't write anything down in any form whatsoever. Verbal communication only, no records. If they'redaft enough to write things down, they deserve to get caught.
 
we once recived a letter form a friend in Ireland that had been obviosly opened...like torn open!... but then another friend recived a visit from Speciel Branch and was showed pictures of the Irish friend at his front door..... so i think it was them playing mind games.... no he wasnt in the IRA or whatever just a mad musicien but he traveled to USA often etc...... My mum once worked at a Bt place that was unmarked, just grey gates and grey vans where they listened to phone conversations, that was in St Albans in Herts.
 
I'm sorry, but I don't buy it! They may check parcels and letters that look suspicious in some form or other, but opening every single item would simply be impossible! And in the financial condition the Royal mail is in I'm sure they wouldn't be able to afford the amount of staff needed.
 
We think they're in a financial crisis because they tell us that they are. All may not be as it seems.
 
JerryBasta said:
We think they're in a financial crisis because they tell us that they are. All may not be as it seems.

They are in crisis, thats why they open the mail to pinch any cash:D
 
I suspect your friend (or friend of a friend) is having you on...

As Jon and mysticus22 say I wouldn't be surprised that they monitor mail from and to potential trouble spots, Ireland, and now the Middle-East.

The logistics of opening everything are impossible...unless the Post Office is the largest employer in the country and about a quarter of the population are employed in spying on the rest.
 
I think the situation should be monitored. If people think that because of the resource implications that they can get away with checking up mail then they will try and get away with it. Besides, all wrongdoers would use some kind of code form - perhaps the royal mail could be using or becoming a code breaking organisation?

I for one am going to keep an eye on this.
 
Surely, if you were working in the sorting room, you would have noticed after a while.

When I worked in a mail room (not for Australia Post, but still), The various couriers and postal workers would deliver the mail to us, which would then go directly for sorting. If it had been whisked away and opened first, it would have been hard to keep a secret from anyone working there.

Admittedly, the set up was not identical to that of a post office, but still.
 
I agree, it can't be true. You can tell if a letter's been tampered with. Someone's leg is being pulled here.

Dirtybob's sellotape is a good idea. Um, except that it would disguise the post-snooping re-packaging. Damn.

I know a little about how Irish people are monitored in Britain as potential terrorists and maybe their mail is intercepted, but all the letters in the country being opened, that's too big a job.
 
escargot said:
I agree, it can't be true. You can tell if a letter's been tampered with. Someone's leg is being pulled here.

Dirtybob's sellotape is a good idea. Um, except that it would disguise the post-snooping re-packaging. Damn.
I used to work in a Post Office and if people had sellotaped packages we used to get them to sign their names on the sellotape. Then it would be obvious if it had been tampered with if it arrived sellotaped but unsigned.
 
That's a good idea, Min. From now on I'll sign all sellotape on my famously untidy but securely-wrapped packages.

I used to work on t'post and learned that the GPO, as it was then, disliked sellotape on parcels and preferred neatly-knotted string. At the time I wondered, hmmm, is that because it's easier to tamper with?

The offical reason was that string makes parcels safer to grab.
 
I sellotape all envelopes in order to make them difficult to open.
I think it's highly unlikely that the post office is opening all mail - it would just be logistically impossible.
They're probably taking the most likely mail, and picking random samples to be opened.
As for the post office being in financial trouble - I just don't believe it. They probably talk about it in order to justify layoffs and higher prices. Many huge (profitable) organisations have a strategy of trimming the workforce for greater profit margin efficiency, and will use any manufactured excuse.
 
It'll explain the mystery of the missing FTs (and some of BT's troubles) - they randomly open a copy and sit their all day reading it and reading bits out to everyone.
 
Jerry, if I may ask, what was the designation or position that your friend was promoted to?
 
There's an easy way to check this. A MB, a group of random strangers, nothing in common except a minor internet habit....;)
 
Dr X - He's some kind of inspector (or something like that) for the Investigation Branch.
 
If the Post Office open everything, why do people still receive suspect devices? It’s carrying conspiracy theories beyond sanity to believe that the Post Office would reseal a package with something dodgy inside it and then send it on so that people won’t know their mail has been tampered with.

For example several of these letter bombs reached their address, the sorting offices only started looking for them after police put out an alert:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/3630406.stm


Give us a a 'T'...
 
Timble - 2 possible answers...

1. The Post Office Spies are good and defused the bombs (hence some didn't ignite even when opened).

2. The Post Office Spies are bad and sent these devices (hence no motive could be found)

Admittedly, I'm just speculating. I don't have all the answers.
 
Hi

I doubt they read everything, but they certainly do open some letters. I suspect that it's only the major sorting offices that have this.

back round about 1980 when CND were having a mini revival my phone number was put on local posters advertising a CND march.

for a week before the march my phone went dead - but was restored immediately after the march. and the following day I got a plastic bag full of letters that had accidentally become opened in the post. The really daft thing is that the police forced us to change the start point for the march which we complied with and then sent a coach load of plods to the original start point whilst we were left unattended at the new one. all for amarch to an unoccupied nuclear bunker.

more recently i complained to postwatch about missing FTs. the reply that Postwatch sent to me was delivered having very obviously been opened and then sellotaped up, in the customary plastic bag. however this is most likely not SB but a nosey employee.

mail interception isn't a new thing - back in tudor times the state was at and i doubt they ever stopped since.

Mal F
 
Thanks, Jerry. :)

How much do you trust your friend? For that matter, how do you feel about revealing a government department's secrets on a board where you don't know who's reading your posts?
 
Dr X - I trust my friend with my life and, if this alledged voyeurism is taking place, it's about time someone stood up and spoke out against them - thinking about the people rather than the government and corporations.

My friend will always remain anonymous so don't play the Secrets Act card with me!
 
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