Abstract:This article examines the establishment of privacy in mediated communications in the United States. The Post Office Act of 1792, which transformed the informational environment by formalizing a nationwide communications network, banned letter opening, a norm that became the cornerstone of American privacy law. The article analyzes the circumstances that led to the articulation of this norm, contending that it rested on two pillars: a civic rationale that rejected government interference in personal communications, and a commercial rationale that prioritized user trust and market expansion. A comparison between the eighteenth-century discourse and current debates over digital surveillance is offered.

中文翻译：

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使消息私密：邮政隐私的形成及其与数字监控的相关性

摘要：本文考察了美国中介通信中隐私的建立。1792 年的邮局法案通过规范全国通信网络改变了信息环境，禁止开信，这一规范成为美国隐私法的基石。这篇文章分析了导致这一规范出现的情况，认为它基于两个支柱：拒绝政府干预个人通信的公民理由，以及优先考虑用户信任和市场扩张的商业理由。提供了 18 世纪话语与当前关于数字监控的辩论之间的比较。