Law enforcement agencies could be monitoring your mail

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 16: An United States Postal Office employee helps a customer at the post office on Evans Street on December 16, 2013 in San Francisco, California. An estimated 6 million customers are expected to visit post offices nationwide on what the Postal Service anticipates to be the busiest day of the holiday season as they predict to process 607 million pieces of mail, up from the average 545 million pieces.(Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)

Last year the United States Postal Service approved nearly 50,000 requests from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor mail.

Ever get the sense that someone is rifling through your correspondence? Well, this may be more than just a sneaking suspicion. Turns out last year the United States Postal Service approved nearly 50,000 requests from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor mail.

A recent audit also revealed that in many cases the Postal Service approved requests without adequate documentation or authorization. New York Times' Washington Correspondent Ron Nixon has been writing about this and joins the show to share more.