Document shredding is crucial for every organization. All the important documents, confidential information, personal records, and former contracts should be disposed of and not fall into the hands of those with foul intentions.

Identity theft is fairly common these days, where corrupt entities are taking over legitimate businesses. Moreover, now that everything has gone digital, fewer companies are mindful of physical documents that might fall in the hands of criminals.

Therefore, it is important to be familiar with the nooks and crannies of document shredding to save yourself from identity theft.

Here are some facts regarding document shredding everyone needs to be familiar with:

· Shredded Paper Is a Public Property

Everything you toss in the bin becomes public property. A law has been passed that says that your trash can be searched for suspicious items without any issued warrant. If a criminal or thief wants to go through your curbside garbage, they can easily do so, and you will have no legal right to file a complaint against them. They can easily have access to your shredded documents, which can ultimately affect your company’s reputation.

· Paper Shredders Have Fingerprints

Paper shredders used in offices and different organizations have their own fingerprints. In addition to that, when you destroy your documents using a shredder, they leave behind debris that can be easily put back together.

Papers shredders can be used as a piece of evidence during forensic investigations. This is because every blade of a paper shredder has a unique fingerprint that can easily lead to its manufacturers.

· Document Shredding is a Law

Most people associate document shredding with identity theft and data breach; however, it is much more than that. Document shredding is not only essential to protect a company’s reputation, but the state of law also orders to shred those documents that are no longer needed.

There are multiple laws, such as The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that mandates that every outdated document in the respective fields should be discarded.

· Professional Shredding Companies Are Compliant with the Law

Document shredding should be carried out with the help of a professional shredding company. This is to ensure that you are compliant with all the rules and regulations of the law and won’t be liable for bad practices if the jurisdiction’s held.  

Final Word

These are some unknown facts about document shredding that not many people are familiar with. If you want to make use of paper shredding services, you should always opt for a professional instead of taking matters into your own hands. This way, you will protect your company’s confidential information while being in compliance with the law.