Privacy Legislation
Organizations including small businesses, large corporations, and hospitals store sensitive information from customers on paper and digital media. If stolen, a great deal of damage may be done to customers including the potential for identity theft. Organizations themselves could become victims of espionage and have proprietary information released to competitors. Consequently, organizations, both big and small, have legal and ethical responsibilities to protect privacy in compliance with state and federal laws.
Keeping up With Changes
The federal and state governments make changes to privacy laws every year. Thus, a business’s obligations and resulting liabilities could also change. Current privacy laws dictate that all organizations including businesses are responsible for protecting information from the time they obtain the information from customers to the time of disposal. Consequently, all companies, ranging from individually run small businesses to large conglomerates have legal responsibilities to protect personal and confidential information.
Proper Disposal
An important aspect to stay in compliance with privacy laws includes having a secure process to dispose of sensitive information. Per FACTA, a federal law designed to protect financial information, institutions must take “reasonable measures” while undergoing disposal to ensure no other entity gains “unauthorized access” to the information. Applied to paper records, the “reasonable measures” in the law refer to shredding, burning, or pulverizing documents so they “cannot be read”.
Industry Specific Legislation
Privacy laws can also vary per industry. In addition to federal laws such as the Privacy Act of 1974, laws such as HIPAA and FACTA deal with specific industries. HIPAA deals with patient health records as applied to hospitals and other health organizations. On the other hand, laws like FACTA or GLBA have specific privacy provisions for the financial industry. Thus, it is important for businesses to know and follow laws specific to their industry.
State Law Variations
Besides federal and industry specific laws, states have their own laws regarding personal private data. For example, California is one of the few states that recognizes privacy as a right and requires website owners and marketers to post and comply with privacy policies. The state also has laws that require reports to be filed with the state when personal data has been compromised.
Legal Compliance is Necessary
There are many reasons why a company should invest in staying current regarding privacy laws and following them. One of the most obvious reasons is to avoid liabilities. Violating privacy laws can result in severe fines or lawsuits from affected customers. Some laws such as FACTA will fine a company thousands of dollars depending on the number of individuals affected.
Following the law with respect to privacy does not have to be a difficult task. This can easily be done through professional or onsite shredding services from a top company like PROSHRED®. Using these services will give you a convenient yet cost effective way to properly destroy documents and digital media such as hard drives containing sensitive data while staying compliant with privacy laws.
Staying current with privacy laws and implementing solutions for compliance will not only protect your company’s assets, it will also protect the people who rely on your company’s services.
What People Are Saying About PROSHRED®
This process was very time consuming and even after we spent hours shredding documents we worried if the information was securely disposed off when we... read moreThis process was very time consuming and even after we spent hours shredding documents we worried if the information was securely disposed off when we threw it in the recycling. Now we have no worries and all we do is fill their box and they take care of all our problems. read less
Victor Solarte9/27/2014Proshred has proven to be a very professional, reliable and customer-oriented business and we love using them! We have trusted them with our sensitive document... read moreProshred has proven to be a very professional, reliable and customer-oriented business and we love using them! We have trusted them with our sensitive document shredding and recycling needs for years and they never disappoint! I would highly recommend them for your business. read less
Kali Holstein10/13/2016Our experience with Proshred was fantastic. They came out in within 24 hours and were very fast, professional and friendly. They answered all of our... read moreOur experience with Proshred was fantastic. They came out in within 24 hours and were very fast, professional and friendly. They answered all of our questions regarding the shredding process and also provided us with a Certificate of Destruction upon completion. Our sales rep is great and we will continue to use their services for years to come. THANKS AGAIN PROSHRED! read less
Lisamarie Tiritilli10/13/2014I LOVE Proshred! I have been with them almost a year and I couldn't be happier with the results. Fast, friendly service and no more... read moreI LOVE Proshred! I have been with them almost a year and I couldn't be happier with the results. Fast, friendly service and no more time spent "hanging out" by the shredder for me or my employees. We drop it in the bin and from our minds. read less
Nicole Kleidon9/27/2016This was my first time using a shredder truck and it was a very good experience overall. My sales rep, Connor, was professional and courteous.... read moreThis was my first time using a shredder truck and it was a very good experience overall. My sales rep, Connor, was professional and courteous. He kept me updated on the day of the shredding to let me know approximately when the truck would arrive. The drivers were clean and polite, and they let me watch as the shredder truck destroyed my documents outside my office. read less
Dre Matt10/13/2020