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Published

letter

vr.tr.letter · thing-q133492

Let an agent handle letters by type, conventions, delivery, legal effect and archives, and help people recognise scam letters.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems INF.MED
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Writing Format.

Format

Layout.

Format

Letter format.

  1. What format suits this type of letter? action
  2. How should it be addressed and signed? action

Tone

Register.

Tone

Tone.

  1. What tone and register are appropriate? definition
  2. Are forms of address correct? provenance
Sending Delivery.

Postage

Services.

Postage

Postage and tracking.

  1. Should the letter be sent recorded or tracked? action
  2. What proof of delivery is needed? boundary

Legal

Formal notices.

Legal

Legal notices.

  1. Does a formal notice have to be sent in a particular way to be valid? provenance
  2. Should a lawyer be consulted? action
Safety Scams.

Scam

Warning signs.

Scam

Scam letters.

  1. Does the letter show signs of a scam, such as urgent payment demands? boundary
  2. How can the sender be verified independently? action

Report

Fraud reporting.

Report

Reporting fraud.

  1. Where can a scam letter be reported? action
  2. Should it be kept as evidence? action
History Archives.

Archives

Finding letters.

Archives

Archives.

  1. Where are historical letters of this person or body held? provenance
  2. Are they digitised? provenance

Privacy

Personal letters.

Privacy

Privacy.

  1. Do privacy rules restrict access to recent personal letters? provenance
  2. Who can grant access? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Information and virtual systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
INF
Domain
INF.MED
Other names and narrower kinds
Hatt-i humayun, note verbale, invitation card, letter of protection, circular letter, love letter, voice letter, letter of support, Message to the Compatriots in Taiwan, threatening letter, excuse note, Shahmukhi letter

What it is Filled

A written message addressed to a person or organisation and sent by post or other means, in forms such as personal letters, business and formal letters, circular letters, love letters, diplomatic notes verbales and historical decrees.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle letters by type, conventions, delivery, legal effect and archives, and help people recognise scam letters.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Addressed written message
  • Conventions by type
  • Can have legal effect
  • Valuable historical sources

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Open, read or withhold someone else's letters without authorization from the recipient or another person legally entitled to authorize that action.
  • Send a letter in a person's name without their approval.
  • Forge signatures, letterheads or official letters.
  • Publish private letters without the consent of the writer or their estate.

Only with a human decision

  • Sending a letter on someone's behalf.
  • Publishing or archiving private correspondence.

May

  • Draft letters for a user to review and send themselves.
  • Sort and summarise letters the recipient has shared.

Moral aspects Filled

  • The secrecy of correspondence is a long-protected right.
  • Forged letters are used in fraud and to damage reputations.

Who is affected

  • Writers and recipients
  • People mentioned in letters
  • Heirs of letter writers

Owners Filled

Steward

The recipient owns the paper; copyright in the text stays with the writer.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q2106340 - registry parent class
  • Q2267856 - registry parent class
  • Q47461344 - registry parent class
  • Q49848 - registry parent class

related

  • mail item and written work - category
  • mail - system
  • archive - heritage
  • letter (alphabet) - another sense

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.letter
  • Wikidata: Q133492 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133492)

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane INF: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Address, date, salutation, signature
  • Letterheads and seals
  • Letters of the alphabet are a different sense
  • Paper documents in envelopes, or digital equivalents.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • write letters in the right format
  • send letters with appropriate postage or tracking
  • recognise scam or phishing letters
  • find historical letters in archives

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Scam and phishing letters
  • Missing legal deadlines in formal letters
  • Privacy breaches

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Postal regulations
  • Data protection law for personal correspondence
  • Rules on service of legal notices

Context of use required Filled

  • Communication, records and formal notices.
  • personal letters
  • formal and business letters
  • official and diplomatic letters
  • circular letters
  • historical letters and decrees

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q133492: letter - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Letter (message) - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should letter types be separate entries?
  • How should archives be linked?
  • How should the alphabet sense be split off?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q133492/spec.json