Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage is
dedicated to complying with all state and federal regulations.
Recently passed legislation requires that businesses containing
any type of personal information must take reasonable measures
in order to ensure that all confidential information is properly
destroyed. This legislation holds businesses liable for any
repercussions resulting in failure to properly dispose of
confidential information.
Utilizing Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage ensures that
your company will be safe from litigation through compliance
with all legislation, including the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the 1974 Privacy Act, HIPAA and FACTA
regulations, and NAID provisions.
In 1988, the United States Supreme Court ruled that trash
picking (dumpster diving) is legal. Once trash is placed
outside, it is public domain, with no exception of privacy or
ownership. This means that any information your company has not
shredded is open to the public. Your company will be held liable
for any repercussions resulting in failure to properly dispose
of sensitive data.
Outdated or inactive company files can become damaging.
Shredding this information protects you and your company against
all potential lawsuits.
With Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage, confidential
information is quickly and efficiently shredded. We are 100%
committed to safely destroying of your data. We would like you
to focus on your core business, and allow us to focus on ours;
the destruction of confidential information. Give us a call.
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Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage is a full-service
document destruction company currently serving the Rio Grande
Valley. We offer on-site and off-site document destruction.
Simply put, we will shred at your place or ours. This gives us
the ability to craft a personal solution to meet your needs and
reduce your risk. Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage
provides a full range of secure, confidential document shredding
services for a wide variety of industries. Safeguarding your
client’s identity and the company’s confidential information is
our number one priority.
In recent years, identity theft has become a widespread problem,
costing the U.S. an estimated $53 billion in 2003, and affecting
over 10 million Americans. Identity theft occurs when someone
uses your personal information without your permission to commit
fraud or other crimes. There are policies and procedures which
your company can put in place which will minimize the risk of
identity theft. Additionally, by using a professional shredding
service your company will know that the information is being
properly destroyed, the company brand protected and the client
information safeguarded. Under federal law, your business is
held liable if confidential employee or customer information is
not protected properly.
The Solution
Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage reduces the risk of
identity theft occurring and allows your company to meet and
exceed federal and state laws. We have procedures in place to
properly shred and destroy all of your confidential documents
and materials in a safe, secure manner. We take pride in helping
consumers protect their identity, and helping companies properly
dispose of their sensitive information. We have been involved in
the shredding industry the past 12 years, and are dedicated in
using that experience to benefit our customers. Call us and we
can discuss your current procedure, policies, or ways of
protecting your business.
Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage is a proud member of the
National Association for Information Destruction (NAID). We are
dedicated to upholding the compliance of the Right to Privacy
Laws, HIPAA, FACTA, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Gramm Leach Bliley
Act and any new legislation which may be passed. Will HR4127
or HR1653 become law?
Recycle the paper, not the information! Don’t destroy your
business or brand by having confidential papers go out with the
trash!
Call Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage today for questions,
policies, or a free quote. Phone: 1-800-747-3318
Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage is independently owned
and operated.
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Sarbanes Oxley Act
Overview
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed by Congress on July 30, 2002
in order to implement changes in corporate governance, federal
securities regulation, and the regulation of auditors. This
legislation was mainly in response to the Enron/Anderson
scandal. This act establishes a Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (“Board”) and provides the Securities and
Exchange Commission with the authority to mandate rules, set
standards, and provide oversight and enforcement over the board.
Who is Affected by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act?
-Registered public accounting firms
-Publicly traded companies
-Companies in the process of registering securities under the
Securities Act of 1933
For more information on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, go to
http://www.aicpa.org/info/sarbanes_oxley_summary.htm
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HIPAA
Overview
HIPAA is an acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996. Promulgated under HIPAA is The Final
Privacy Rule which was released by the Department of Health and
Human Services on August 9, 2002. The Final Privacy Rule limits
and regulates the disclosure and use of individually
identifiable health information. This includes health
information that is received by a health care provider, health
plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or
university, or health care clearinghouse.
All medical records and other individually identifiable health
information are covered by the Final Privacy Rule regardless of
format (electronic, paper, or oral). Disclosure and use of such
information requires consent or authorization from the patient.
HIPAA regulations have established strict financial penalties
for the improper disposal of medical records or any other
“individually identifiable” medical information. They also
require that any third party waste disposal service ensure in
writing that waste is shredded or disposed of in a manner that
precludes identifying anyone to whom that information applies.
Who is Affected by HIPAA?
-Health-related organizations such as:
-A health care clearinghouse, which may include medical billing
service providers.
To learn more about HIPAA regulations and how they affect your
company, please visit
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/
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FACTA
Overview
In December 2003, the Federal Trade Commission issued the Fair
and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, which was intended to
combat consumer fraud and identity theft, and to protect the
privacy of individuals by requiring businesses’ to properly
dispose of and destroy sensitive consumer data. In November
2004, the Federal Trade Commission issued a new rule in
conjunction with the existing FACTA laws called the FACTA Act
Disposal Rule, section 682.1 of the FACTA Act. The Disposal Rule
applies to virtually all businesses, and requires that any
company or person that possesses or maintains “any record about
an individual, whether in paper, electronic, or other form that
is a consumer report (also known as a credit report) or is
derived from a consumer report” must take “reasonable measures
to protect against unauthorized access to or use of the
information in connection with its disposal”. This new rule
applies to virtually every business and private employer in the
United States, and requires these businesses to come into
compliance by June 1, 2005, by adopting and implementing their
own document destruction policies or by contracting a document
shredding company to do so. The Disposal Rule requires the
destruction of all consumer information before it is discarded.
Any business that possesses any consumer information must
safeguard it in order to comply with FACTA regulations.
Those who do not comply with FACTA regulations are vulnerable to
severe penalties. In some cases, consumers may be entitled to
recover their actual damages sustained as a result of a
violation of the rule, which, in some cases of identity theft,
can be very large. In other cases, consumers may be able to
recover statutory damages of up to $1,000 for each consumer
affected by a violation of the rule. The federal government is
also authorized to bring actions on behalf of their residents
for violations of the Disposal Rule. The government may bring an
action in federal court for up to $2,500 in penalties.
FACTA compliance is extremely important to the success of your
company, and with the help of Lone Star Shredding & Document
Storage, a proud member
of the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID),
your company will meet all FACTA requirements pertaining to
destruction of confidential, sensitive data.
Who is Affected by FACTA?
-Virtually every business or private employer.
To learn more about FACTA and how it affects your company,
please visit
ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/disposalalrt.htm
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NAID
Overview
NAID stands for the National Association for Information
Destruction. NAID is an international, non-profit trade
association of the information destruction industry. Its members
are companies involved in providing information destruction
services. NAID’s priority is to educate business, industry, and
government of the extreme importance of destroying sensitive
discarded information and the value of contract destruction
services.
NAID asserts that every business has information that requires
destruction. Without the proper safeguards, information ends up
in the trash, and business espionage professionals consider
trash as the single most available source of competitive and
private information from the average business. Any company that
discards its sensitive data without using the proper destruction
procedures exposes itself to the risk of criminal and civil
prosecution, as well as the loss of business.
According to NAID recommendations, stored records should be
destroyed on a regular schedule. The period of time business
records are stored should be according to a retention schedule
that takes into consideration their useful value to the
business. NAID asserts that most records storage companies do
not have the equipment necessary in order to provide shredding
services. NAID also asserts that internal personnel should not
be responsible to destroy certain information due to the nature
of the information and company employee’s affiliation with the
information to be shredded.
Lone Star Shredding & Document Storage is a proud member of NAID,
and we are confident that we can provide you with the most safe,
secure, and convenient document destruction services possible.
To find out more about NAID, please visit
http://www.naidonline.org
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1974 Privacy Act
Overview
The 1974 Federal Privacy Act was established in order to ensure
that government agencies protect the privacy of individuals and
businesses with regard to information held by them, and holds
these agencies liable if any information is released without
authorization. The Privacy Act of 1974, which has been in effect
since September 27, 1975, can generally be characterized as a
"code of fair information practices" that attempts to regulate
the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personal
information by federal executive branch agencies.
The main purposes of the Privacy Act of 1974 are to:
Restrict disclosure of personally identifiable records
maintained by agencies. Grant individuals increased rights of
access to agency records maintained on themselves. Grant
individuals the right to seek amendment of agency records
maintained on themselves upon showing that the records are not
accurate, relevant, timely, or complete. To establish a code of
“fair information practices” which requires agencies to comply
with statutory norms for collection, maintenance, and
dissemination of records. Broadly stated, the purpose of the
Privacy Act is to balance the government's need to maintain
information about individuals with the rights of individuals to
be protected against unwarranted invasions of their privacy
stemming from federal agencies' collection, maintenance, use,
and disclosure of personal information about them.
Who is Affected by the 1974 Federal Privacy Act?
-Government Agencies
-Individuals with any sort of confidential records held by
government agencies
To learn more about the 1974 Federal Privacy Act and how it
affects your company, please visit
http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/04_7_1.html
