Why should you shred your documents, you ask? All Massachusetts businesses have occasions to destroy confidential data: customer lists, price lists, sales statistics, drafts of bids and correspondence, and even memos containing information about business activity that would interest any competitor. Every business is also entrusted with information that must be kept private. Employees and customers have the legal right to have this data protected. Without the proper safeguards, information can end up in the dumpster or in the wrong hands where it is readily and legally available to anybody, including competitors and identity thieves.
The trash is considered by business espionage professionals as the single most available source of competitive and private information from the average business. Any establishment that discards private and proprietary data without the benefit of destruction exposes itself to the risk of criminal and civil prosecution, as well as the costly loss of business trade secrets and valuable data.
With so much emphasis being put on security, both in terms of our identity and our finances, it is important to ensure that every effort is made to make the identity thief’s job as difficult as possible. One way of doing this is to shred all documents that may contain information about you or members of your family, which may allow the identity thief to build up a picture of either you as an individual or any other member of your family.
Responsibly destroying your information is not only a good business practice; it’s the law. Using a shredding company provides a “chain of custody,” which limits your liability. Protecting your documents is our business. Utilizing shredding & destruction services for your materials is the right choice.
Documents that are mandated to be protected by law:
FACTA – Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act:
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, also known as the FACT Act, was signed into law on December 4, 2003. The Act contains several provisions intended to combat identity theft consumer fraud and related crimes. The act requires the destruction of papers containing consumer information. This law binds virtually every business or organization.
HIPPA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (revised by Congress in 2000) is a federal law that governs the handling of confidential medical and personal information and records. Civil and Criminal penalties, as well as fines, may result from the inadvertent disclosure of personal information. All companies that handle medical and personal information must comply with federal standards by April 2003.
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB) – Financial:
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, which went into effect in July 2002, governs the handling of all personal information. Much broader in scope than HIPPA, this law was designed to compel financial institutions to “respect the privacy of its customers” and mandates that all financial institutions establish procedures for protecting personal information, including the protection of discarded information.
Documents that contain confidential material:
- Customer information
- Marketing
- Employee information
- Proposals and quotes
- Financial reports
- Outdated business records
Reasons to Shred:
- Comply with State and Federal Laws.
- Protect your identity and your client’s data.
- Environmentally responsible act.
- Cost Efficient Vs Shredder Costs,
- HIPAA Compliant Service.
- 100% Recycling.
- Peace of mind.
To start shredding today at some of the lowest rates in MA, NH:
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