‘Eventually it will just be a barcode, won’t it?’ Why Britain’s new stamps are causing outrage and upset | Society | The Guardian
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/04/eventually-it-will-just-be-a...> [...] In February, Royal Mail introduced a new design for its standard stamps, which have changed so little since the launch of the Penny Black in 1840 that they are officially known as “definitives”. The new stamps – “plum purple” for first class, “holly green” for second – still feature the same regal profile introduced more than 50 years ago. But what is most bothering purists – and leading Johnson to the brink of direct action – is the addition next to the Queen of a digital barcode. The rectangular codes – which look like QR codes but are apparently not QR codes, which are a particular, and trademarked, kind of code – are designed are designed to stop counterfeiting and to enable the tracking of all letters to improve efficiency. Correspondents will soon be able to share photo or video messages by linking digital content to their coded stamps. Recipients will view it via the Royal Mail app [...] From 1 February 2023, only the new stamps will be accepted. Any old stamps must be used before then or traded in. Christmas and other themed special stamps will remain valid indefinitely. Swapping definitives, which can still be done after the deadline, is free but will involve downloading and printing a form, or requesting one by phone or letter, and posting it to Royal Mail along with the old stamps. Royal Mail describes the change as a postal “reinvention” that connects stamps to the digital world for a new generation. “But the whole point of my society was to give us a break from having to be engaged with digital content,” says Johnson, 49, from her home in Swanage in Dorset. [...]
Buongiorno, vedo che l'annuncio della Royal Mail è di Febbraio: https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/02/02/royal-mail-unveils-new-stamps-with-... --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- A pattern similar to a QR code will appear next to the iconic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. It can be scanned using the Royal Mail app. "The introduction of unique barcodes on our postage stamps allows us to connect the physical letter to the digital world," said Nick Landon, the group's commercial director, said in a statement. While it will improve "operational efficiency," the new generation stamp will also provide "additional security features and open the door to innovative services," the company said. The barcoded stamps will have a "digital twin" linked by the Royal Mail app. [...] Stamps with similar barcodes exist in other countries including France on international stamps and Germany, where trackable stamps went on sale in February 2021. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- «allows us to connect the physical letter to the digital world» Credo che ci sia poco da aggiungere, chiaro no?!? Non è per nulla chiaro se le "additional security features" (cosa non si fa per la nostra sicurezza, eh!) comporteranno - prima o poi - l'obbligo di identificazione del mittente attraverso la app "digital twin", così il cerchio si chiuderebbe, definitivamente. Alberto Cammozzo via nexa <nexa@server-nexa.polito.it> writes:
<https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/04/eventually-it-will-just-be-a...>
[...] --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- Gold says the codes mean Royal Mail can track all letters, allowing it to better monitor, predict and respond to regional changes in demand, for example. He is also confident the unique codes will stop the fraudulent washing of postmark ink and resale of used stamps – a crime that he claims costs Royal Mail “tens of millions” of pounds a year. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- Ah ecco, ci sono di mezzo anche frodi per decine di milioni, è chiaro. Saluti, 380° -- 380° (Giovanni Biscuolo public alter ego) «Noi, incompetenti come siamo, non abbiamo alcun titolo per suggerire alcunché» Disinformation flourishes because many people care deeply about injustice but very few check the facts. Ask me about <https://stallmansupport.org>.
participants (2)
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380° -
Alberto Cammozzo