Are you rubbish at destroying your confidential waste?

Abstract

The computer security issues surrounding information destruction are reviewed in the context of security breaches that have occurred through the reconstitution of data on hard drives of ‘wiped’ computers and the reclamation of paper waste thought to have been destroyed through dumping. It is argued that the cost of employing correct destruction procedures is very small compared to the damage that can be caused to a company’s reputation. Particular attention is paid to the increased pressure on companies due to the introduction of the new Data Protection Act in March 2000. Describes the work undertaken by twelve of the UK’s leading information destruction companies, representing 55% of the UK market, in the formation of the Information Destruction Section (ID), of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA). Notes the activities of these BSIA ID companies in providing a thorough auditing system covering the collection of confidential waste from a company’s door up to the point of destruction. Concludes that the benefits of effective information destruction go beyond the Data Protection Act to helping to reduce losses through fraud of all types and ensuring that the company’s reputation remains untarnished.