This is why some envelopes have a pattern on the inside for privacy, right? I thought that was standardized a while ago for anything official and important. Smaller card sized envelopes maybe not though
Yeah I believe so. Going through some of my old informed delivery emails I see a few with the crosshatch privacy pattern which seems to work reasonably well. I wonder if manipulating the image in some way (brightness, etc) may reduce that effect.
I also have a number of mailings from my bank that include things like account balances & numbers, with no privacy pattern. So it seems hit or miss.
Not really. It's good for snagging coupon codes, but not much else. Anything important will (should) be inside an envelope that is thick enough to block this trick.
Just like USPS should not send you images of other peoples mail, a lot of mail isn't in the type of envelope they should be. I'm looking at multiple bank statements where I can read balances.
Another vector is the plastic window many envelopes have to show the addressee printed on the paper inside. I have another healthcare related letter I can read through that.
It's similar to if you hold a flashlight to the back of an envelope and can then see 'through' it to read the paper inside.