𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲

In 2021, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) made the use of electronic advance data (#EAD) prior to sending each and every postal item containing #goods or #merchandise mandatory. #Legislation to harmonize this EAD ensures #interconnectivity between all #postal operators globally, in turn creating the basis for enhanced #product and transport #security, the #promotion of #sustainability and securing of #consumerrights and #dataprotection.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁

For two decades, the #UPU has been an #advocate of a #secure and trusted Internet space to serve the needs of the global postal #community in the #digitaleconomy.

Its top level #domain “.POST” is a #communication channel for the postal sector. It immediately identifies legitimate postal services and is fully secured by Domain Name System Security Extensions (#DNSSEC). Anyone can trust that a “.POST” domain will not take you to a fake website. Secured electronic postal service (#SePS) standards, developed more than a decade ago, to secure authenticated communication and the integrity of electronic documents sent have been adopted by the European Committee for Standardization (#CEN) and will be revised and updated in the coming months in close collaboration between CEN and the UPU.

𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺

As well as harmonizing the #dataexchanged on postal items containing goods/merchandize prior to sending, the systems supporting the secure exchange of such data over the #Internet must be fit for #purpose.

In 2021, the 27th UPU Congress in Abidjan launched its first #digitalstrategy to establish the #trust needed for a global #B2C communication channel. Together with other international organizations including the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (#ETSI), the UPU is creating security and trust in the global communications linked to all B2C supplies sent through the postal system by actively establishing end-to-end security for the #exchange of data in advance on postal items containing goods or #merchandise.

This is a good start. The next step is to #harmonize the #interfaces that will allow #softwareapplications to call a secured electronic postal service (SePS) provided by a postal #administration or supply chain #management provider. Establishing a resilient communication channel for the real-time exchange of mandatory data globally will enhance the trust needed to take global digital #retail to the next level.