Last September, the USPS filed for a patent called “Methods and Systems for Digital Trust Architecture”. According to documents published on March 22, the contribution of blockchain is considered to become part of the mail carrier’s new digital trust system. The general public’s preoccupation with transaction tampering and unsecured messaging are among the objectives that motivate adding new solutions that heighten the level of desired security. Eventually, it will enable to offer safer online transactions.

In 2016, the Postal Service already considered creating its own cryptocurrency. An inside report suggested that supply chain applications and other parts of its operations could use that technology. Therefore, the filing for a patent should be seen as a meaningful step forward by the organization. The description of the system’s application contains details about key components. It highlights the use of blockchain. It “may be configured to receive records from the user and add the records to a blockchain.”

Among the components, it plans to supply the users with public and private keys. The document also outlines the use of an email system that may be set up to work in a coordinated manner with the blockchain. “In some aspects, the user email component is further configured to receive input indicating whether information indicating the transmission of the encrypted email body data is to be stored in a blockchain and store the information in a blockchain in response to the input”.

The blockchain could apparently use what’s described as a “special digital token”. The application mentions that “the token is used to create a record for the user for inclusion in a blockchain.” This doesn’t describe specifically how the token’s data refers to the blockchain, but it does explain that “The block chaining of a special digital token provides evidence that a specific transaction occurred, and specifically who was involved”.

The text of the Postal Service’s application also mentions that “There are many excellent reasons for online interactions to continue as they have been. However, in a multi-party, open source environment, there is also a need for a secure, trusted, and enforceable online environment, to enable greater trust and therefore expansion of offerings online”