They also occasionally provide these images to law enforcement agencies that request them as part of a criminal investigation. Interestingly, the USPS has already been scanning the outside of your mail for a while - it’s how their automated equipment sorts it for delivery by ZIP Code and street address. Subscribers get an email digest each morning with images of the first 10 pieces of mail, and a link to view the rest if they received more than 10. Right now the service only provides black and white scans of regular letter-sized mail. But in the future they may add other flat-sized pieces like magazines.
While you still won’t be able to see the inside of your mail until it arrives, it should be helpful to know if an important letter is being delivered today or not.