Tag Archives: confidential document shredding

Protecting your online privacy – Top tips (Part 1 of 2)

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Unlike information that is produced in paper format that can be gathered and destroyed through document shredding services Ireland or an in-house on site paper shredding facility, information in digital format on the internet can be far more difficult to destroy and delete.
This article will go through the first half of our top tips for protecting your information online.

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#1. Do not give your info away inadvertently

Many people are allowing their information to be recorded without even knowing it. In order to battle this problem, it is always a good idea to configure your web browser settings to best suit your requirements. Examples would be not to use a personal email address or your real personal details that you do not wish to share.

#2. Use cookie management software or turn on cookie notices

What are cookies? Well, they are small amounts of information that web sites store on your computer. In many cases they can be helpful for example, if you log into a website regularly such as a customer login to a paper shredding company website, the cookies can be usernames and passwords to save you from typing them in every time you log in to view your confidential shredding service information.
Other cookies can be identified for data mining purposes that will track ALL of your activity upon a given website. Most of these cookies can only be translated by the entity that made them. Many companies that manage online advertising are simply cookie sharing rings that track all of your activity to effectively market and advertise to you. If you are not aware of the cookies, you cannot protect yourself.

#3. Have a specific email account for tasks

When you may be mailing to an unknown account or posting to forums or newsgroups it is best to do this from a second “specific” email address. Addresses posted to public spaces are at high risk of being discovered by spammers. If your email begins to get inundated with spam that you cannot just securely shred to get rid of you can kill it off and start a new specific email for your more public activities.

#4. Do not share with unknown people

In conjunction with the developments of the internet, new brief friendships have increased proportionally also with many people “befriending” people that they do not actually know. Be careful because you are allowing them access to certain information upon yourself and if ever meeting in person do so in a public place. Information that should not be shared with new people immediately include but are not limited to; your place of work, your full name, your personal address, your contact number and your date of birth.
In the commercial sector, be aware of “befriending” on the short term as it is a common social engineering form of spying to get them to reveal personal information.

#5. Study privacy policies and seals

When looking at any website to do business with you should always be aware of their details relating to data privacy. Points to watch include, does the site have a posted privacy policy, does the site have a physical address or postal address. Read their policy carefully to decide if they are an entity to do business with.
Online information and Data Protection are of serious importance and awareness is key to your protection. If you are not aware you cannot protect yourself. I hope this article helps you in becoming aware and in turn more protected.
We will cover five more points in our next article that will wrap up or top tips for online privacy protection. For further information, please contact one of our team on info@securityinshredding.com

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Ireland Businesses – Top Six threats to Data Privacy

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All Businesses in operation in Limerick, Cork, Dublin, Galway and across Ireland will be aware of Data Breaches and the risks associated with them. A data breach can come in the form of a paper breach when failing to implement confidential document destruction and a digital breach when failing to have appropriate security procedures in place. The knock on negativity that an Organisation faces affects client relationships in addition to damaging your Company image.

In many cases due to DATA PROTECTION LAW your Organisation may be legally responsible to your customers. In this article I will go through my top six threats to Data Privacy for Organisations.

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Top SixThreats;

  1. Lack of Data Protocols

In many data breach cases it is found that there was a failure of the Organisation to have even the most basic protocols in place to minimise the loss of customer and employee data. Examples have been; a failure to have confidential paper stored in a secure location when not in use and waste paper material being destroyed through an onsite document shredding facility.

  1. Restricted access to information

A regular mistake by Organisations today both Public and Private is to restrict access to confidential information for employees. A simple “need to know” procedure is a great step in achieving data security.

  1. Failing client expectations

Within many Organisations there seems to be a free for all information sharing tendency. However, in today’s competitive environment business clients and public clients to given Organisations expect to have their information maintained securely. Various staff members with varying staff functions are not required to know one another data details. A simple contract inclusion at employment stage would reduce and minimise this non-required cross function data sharing tendency.

  1. Extended information gathering & sharing

There is an increasing trend in information gathering through online forms and “opt out” functions. This information may be shared among Organisations with no accurate business case to justify such sharing.

  1. Increases in technology

This point covers a multitude of technologies but I will mention two different kinds;

  1. Confidential document shredding – reconstruction technologies
  2. Online digital data technologies that part individuals from their personal information for fraudulent use.
  1. Lack of awareness

There is a concerning level ignorance or lack of knowledge from a Data Controller perspective and general public perspective when dealing with sensitive data.

Data Controllers may lack a degree of awareness of their data protection obligations, such examples can be failing to complete a clear out shredding process at the end of each calendar year or failing to have a confidential document destruction process in place for daily generated materials.

For more information on data privacy Email us at info@securityinshredding.com 

The Data Protection Commissioner phone no: +353 57 868 4800

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Top Tips; Implementing a clean desk policy (Secure document destruction Ireland)

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During the implementation process it is important to have a clear confidential document shredding policy in place whether it is an onsite paper destruction system, a mobile paper shredding system, an off site shredding service or in-house shredding service the options are there to ensure compliance with Data Protection Legislation.

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Our advice!

  1. Your Clean Desk Policy must be put in writing

It is a good idea to clearly communicate the policy to all staff who are responsible for managing their confidential document shredding and management of their documents. We advise that you inform employees in writing as to how to follow your policy in addition to informing them why it is important to your Organisation. As Organisations deal with varying levels of sensitive information it is important to inform them as to the consequences if any member fails to comply with the policy and manage their onsite paper destruction effectively and securely.

  1. Provide secure storage

    (Data awaiting destruction through your mobile paper shredding service)

If you communicate your clean desk policy to all employees, you are on the right track for effective confidential document destruction management. One important factor to consider is the provision of secure storage containers. You cannot have a successful policy in place if your staff do not have anywhere available to them to store their sensitive documents that await the secure document destruction process. This point directly covered in the Data Protection Legislation in order to keep data safe and secure.

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  1. Encourage electronic data Vs paper data usage

When staff are encouraged to use electronic copies vs printing hard paper copies of information while working, your Organisation will benefit. You will reduce your requirement for confidential document shredding within your office, reducing your business costs, helping the environment while also increasing overall data security.

  1. Routinely complete full data back-ups.

This point is important for all business not only to maintain a Clean Desk Policy. However, when encouraging staff to complete their duties through electronic data forms to reduce the mobile paper shredding burden, it is essential to have an effective data backup system in place.

  1. Finally, begin your communication from The Top!!

This Clean Desk Policy has to be complied with and understood to be serious. If senior management do not follow the policy and continue to have paper pilling up and not routinely destroying their documents through the onsite paper shredding service, why would any other employees?

So make sure to get full agreement from all senior management to ensure a successful policy implementation.

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This is part two of a three-part blog providing information upon constructing, implementing and justifying your Clean Desk Policy. For any further information upon the Clean Desk Policy please contact one of our helpful team to go through the details and answer any possible queries you may have.

Contact: info@securityinshredding.com