Information Security: What to Shred at Home

The home houses many different types of confidential documents. Everyone has personal documents that need to be kept private, but people don’t just use their homes as a personal space. Some people run businesses from home, and, since the pandemic, working from home and hybrid work have become prevalent. Work files that were once securely destroyed in an office are being discarded with little to no thought for data security once they’re no longer needed.

Whether you work in an office or at home, it’s critical to follow document management processes. A comprehensive document management process can help identify and protect confidential information throughout its lifetime. The process should include a records retention policy, limiting access to information, and how to securely dispose of documents. Privacy laws, such as Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), PIPEDA, and HIPAA protect the privacy of clients, customers, and employees by destroying confidential information when it is no longer needed. Business shredding is also largely directed by privacy laws and other regulations.

It is important to continuously train and remind employees of the importance of data security and the role they play. It is equally important for individuals to be aware of ways to better protect their confidential information, so it is not stolen and used for identity theft. Knowing how and when to dispose of documents with personal identifiable information (PII) is essential.

What Work Documents Should Be Shredded?

Confidential paper documents continue to play a big role in day-to-day business and, if not managed properly, could lead to major consequences for an organization. Some examples of what work documents should be shredded include:

• Supplier and customer information. Vendor records, contracts, and purchase orders should all be stored in a secure location until they are no longer needed, at which point they can be taken to a secure drop off location to avoid the risk of a potential breach.
• Printed presentations or reports. Presentations and reports often contain data and information on an organization’s performance or future goals and strategies. This information can be harmful to a business if released publicly.
• Copies or duplicates of files. How many times have you misplaced an important document only to reprint it for the sake of time? You never know what sort of work documents may be casually laying around your home office, so it’s worth combing through your files to identify any that could be a risk to information security.

Refer to the business’s document retention policy which identifies confidential information and categorizes it by how and where documents and other records are stored (electronically or on paper) and the required retention period based on federal, state, and other regulatory requirements.

What personal documents should be shredded?

Outside of work files, there are a multitude of documents in the home that can put your personal information at risk if not handled sensitively. Some examples of what personal documents should be shredded include:

• Bank and financial records. While you may have a secure filing spot in your home, once they are no longer needed, they are typically thrown into the garbage, increasing the risk of sensitive information being stolen.
• Bills and receipts. Often collected and stuffed into a coat pocket without a second thought, these can contain important information like bank card numbers and account information.
• Sticky notes and general clutter. Passwords, phone numbers, usernames, and more are often carelessly jotted down on scraps of paper and not given a second thought. Ensure these are all collected and destroyed to avoid someone with nefarious intentions logging into your accounts and stealing private information.
• Old hard drives. A drop off shredding service isn’t just limited to paper. Old hard drives often contain a significant amount of sensitive information in one spot, so it’s best to ensure these items are properly destroyed as well.

Check with state and other laws to understand what documentation must be kept indefinitely (such as birth and death certificates, social security cards, marriage/divorce papers, citizenship papers, adoption papers) or for how long (tax information).

Don’t just throw out confidential papers

Garbage and recycling bins left out on the curb for pickup may allow malicious actors to steal personal information out of the trash. Except where prohibited by local regulation, “dumpster diving” is legal and can occur in commercial and residential areas. Identity thieves look for a variety of information, such as your name, address, credit card or bank account numbers, social security number (SSN), and medical insurance account numbers.

Prevent a data breach with a secure residential drop-off shredding service

Because home businesses, remote employees, and individuals usually do not have a large amount of documents for secure destruction, a drop-off shredding service is a great option. Partnering with a professional shredding company that uses cross-cut technology provides a convenient way to securely dispose of confidential documents. Benefits of a secure document destruction service include:

• Security: Professional shredding services can help keep confidential documents secure, from when they’re discarded and shredded to when they’re recycled. Shredding can help further prevent bad actors from gaining access to confidential information even after shredding.
• Efficiency: At-home shredders can be slow and may break often. With a professional shredding service, you can drop off your documents for shredding with high-quality, reliable equipment, potentially saving hours of time and effort.
• Broader data protection services: Typically, at-home shredders destroy only paper documents, but professional shredding services are versatile and can handle other types of data storage, including hard drives. Effective hard drive destruction is critical to the disposal of confidential digital information.
• Recycling: Documents destroyed with an at-home shredder might accidentally go in the trash bin. Shred-it’s^® drop-off shredding service helps ensure that shredded documents are ultimately recycled.

Any papers containing confidential information, whether for business or personal use, should be securely destroyed.  Working with a trusted and reliable document shredding partner can help avoid data breaches and identity theft. Learn more about how Shred-it^® can help protect business and personal information. 

^{**This article is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances.}