by Travis Mitchell

Created on: April 01, 2009   Last Updated: May 13, 2009

Paper documents containing personal or otherwise sensitive information about people or businesses are produced, stored and trashed on a daily basis. It is hardly surprising then to learn that such frequency represents a potential security risk. This is especially true nowadays because fraud, and specifically, identity theft, is one of the world's fastest growing crimes.

In fact, instances of identity theft have risen more than 20% between 2007-08, according to Javelin Strategy & Research. And contrary to popular belief, most cases were not accomplished via electronic means, but by the good old fashioned paper trail.

In response to this, many governments have introduced legislation designed to protect privacy by making it mandatory for certain types of business documents to be destroyed in a sufficiently secure manner.

This is often achieved by utilizing the services of a professional shredding company. These companies provide on site receptacles where documents to be shredded will be placed. Unlike a trash can or a recycling bin however, these stations are locked and can only be accessed by an employee of the disposal company itself. This representative will arrive as scheduled to empty these stations and to transport all documents contained within to a secure site to then be shredded properly.

A service such as this may not be practical for personal use however, and so for an individual or a household it's probably best to purchase your own shredder.

It should be noted though, that burning potentially sensitive documents is a cheap, if not obvious alternative to shredding. But such a method is in its own right, not practical for everyone considering that an available fireplace, furnace or sufficient outdoor space would most likely be needed. Also, burning large stacks of paper can be difficult if done all at once. The fire will have a tendency to burn the outer layers of the stack but leave the middle largely intact. And so if you intend to burn your documents, you will most likely have to do it a few sheets at a time.

A shredder on the other hand can be much more efficient. A decent machine should be able to handle 10-20 documents at once and should cost anywhere between $200-$300.

Another advantage of a shredder is that its cuts are precise and uniform, unlike tearing by hand. This makes document reconstruction a more difficult task as the shape of each tear or cut is identical and cannot be matched to its partner in the way that hand torn documents can.

When purchasing a shredder, the type of cut it provides is ultimately what you're looking for. A simple strip cut machine will not provide as much security as a cross cut machine for example. So depending on the level of security you feel is necessary, this is the primary consideration.

It is generally understood however, that a strip cut shredder provides little to no security at all. Whereas the cross cut variants are quite standard for document disposal.

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