Data Destruction Law Gives Your Customers New Reason to Sue by Jennifer Burl

On January 1, 2015, a new data destruction law, specifically known as Delaware House Bill 295, will go into effect. The law, which focuses on the protection of personal data, states that if a company wishes to dispose of information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or stored in a medium (electronic or otherwise) and is retrievable in a form that contains information about consumers' identities, the company must take reasonable steps to destroy or arrange for the destruction of these records by erasing, shredding or other destruction or modification methods that makes them unreadable or indecipherable.

So, what qualifies as personal identifying information? It may include a consumer's first name or first initial in combination with one or many of the following data elements (specifically, if the name or the data is not encrypted): passport number, social security number, driver's license or state identification card number, financial services account number, insurance policy number, bank account number, debit/credit card number, confidential healthcare information (history, condition, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment) or tax or payroll information. The chances are pretty good that if you let confidential information get out, it's going to meet at least one of these conditions.

The new law will mark the passage of a new chapter of the safe destruction of business documents containing personal information because it will give customers the option of using civil action to recover potential damages. The Attorney General may also file suit or bring administrative enforcement proceedings against offending companies if it is in the public interest. Aside from any fines you might end up paying, this is definitely not the kind of publicity you want.

At Iron Mountain, we offer secure IT asset disposition services that ensure old devices and legacy data are destroyed securely. But it's not enough to just destroy old equipment and media, it needs to be done ethically as well. Old IT assets often hold toxic substances which can ultimately end up in the biosphere and our food chain when they are not recycled properly. As an e-Stewards Enterprise, we offer services that are earth-friendly because we understand how important this is. With Iron Mountain there's no need to choose between security or sustainability - we offer both!

Most importantly for your budget and your reputation, our Secure IT Asset Disposition services help companies avoid the type of penalties the new Delaware law will bring to those who do not destroy their legacy equipment correctly. And, though the law is currently only applicable in that state, we can soon expect to see similar legislation elsewhere with all of the recent highly publicized data breaches at Target, Home Depot, and other large companies.

Need to ditch some old IT assets? Contact Iron Mountain today for more information about our comprehensive secure IT asset disposition offering. Security and sustainability: good for your company, good for the planet.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
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