Remember that the Privacy Act clearly specifies proper handling, storage and destruction procedures. Violation can result in civil or criminal penalties.

The United States Supreme Court ruling in California vs. Greenwood deems disposed documents as public domain. The responsibility for maintaining privacy clearly rests in the hands of the company or individual.

Q2. Do you have a regular retention policy?

It is interesting to note that businesses are required to retain certain records for varying periods of time. However, should records be requested for a government investigation, all records on hand must be produced, not just those covered under the retention guidelines. The shredding of records as they exceed retention periods makes good business sense.

Q3.Do you have a concern about the amount of floor space devoted to records storage?

The cost of office space is continuing to rise with no end in sight. Filing cabinets full of obsolete records are costly to keep.

Q4.Do you have a voluntary or mandatory office paper recycling program?

Pages being collected for disposal are a golden opportunity for anyone, company insider or not, seeking to obtain private information.