Are you still printing or already reading? The paperless office is not for everyone, some people are reluctant to consume longer texts on the screen. And depending on the employer, a lot is still printed out and filed, notices, invoices, forms, that sort of thing. Only six percent of German companies work completely paperless, around 60 percent map at least half of their office and administrative processes on paper. This is shown by a representative survey by the IT industry association Bitkom from November 2020.
At a time when German health authorities keep up to date by fax, this is not surprising. But where there is paper, there is also sensitive data on it. And it has to be disposed of safely. What is to be considered?
When is data sensitive?
Which data is worthy of protection results primarily from the data protection laws of the federal and state governments, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the social security codes. If documents contain personal data, the conventional disposal via the waste paper represents “an incalculable risk”, according to Rhenus Data Office. Otherwise, unauthorized persons could easily come into possession of confidential information. This applies both directly and through the possible damage to the image of reports such as “patient files found in the blue bin”.
Rhenus Data Office, a subsidiary of the Rethmann Group from Westphalia, is one of the largest companies among those that destroy and dispose of confidential information of all kinds. Customers can be found across all economic circles, including authorities: banks, insurance companies, medical practices, lawyers, as well as the judiciary and the police. Depending on the line of business, it is highly personal customer and patient information, production and financial data, development documents, trade secrets.
But clubs also collect a lot of personal data through their member administration, they also fall under the GDPR.
How is it disposed of?
The offices and companies usually collect internally in special bins that cannot be opened by the employees and are then picked up by the shredders on a regular basis or when necessary. Alternatively, the providers drive a special shredder vehicle directly onto the company premises or in front of the door.
In the past year, however, working in the home office changed the collection volume somewhat. At the Wittmann waste disposal company in Graefelfing near Munich, around ten percent less shredding of files was implemented in 2020 than in the previous year. One can only speculate about the reasons: Either less was used or companies saved up on professional waste disposal.
What solutions are there for mobile working?
One possibility is not to produce any paper at all and only read and process it electronically. Another option is to collect the documents safely and dispose of them regularly in the company. It also makes sense to have a lockable filing cabinet at home and to store everything that is necessary for work, including rubbish.
Most disposal companies also have file collection boxes for mobile workers on offer. Customers can order, fill and seal the boxes and then have them picked up by a courier service provider. The disposal company then destroys them unopened. Usually the entire transport route can be traced because the vehicles are equipped with a satellite system.
How do companies deal with it?
Since the handling of data is already regulated by law, the framework is already in place. At the cell phone provider Telefónica Deutschland, for example, binding requirements have been defined on how to deal with sensitive information and they are published internally, according to a spokesman. The employees undergo regular and compulsory training. And although Telefónica largely dispensed with paper printouts, almost 74 tons of paper data garbage were collected in the offices and shops in 2020 – significantly less than in previous years due to the pandemic. Anyone who works on the move is connected to the company network via VPN software. Therefore, employees in the home office hardly ever have to dispose of sensitive rubbish.
How is the data destroyed?
Documents are shredded, i.e. torn into irregular shreds by rotating rollers with cutting tooth blocks. The industry standard DIN 66399 provides more precise information, depending on the protection class to which the files belong. Protection class 1 includes address lists and telephone data, and class 2 includes balance sheets and annual financial statements. Patient and confidentiality data fall under protection class 3.
The scraps of paper are then pressed into bales and recycled – the latter also applies to electronic data carriers after they have been destroyed.
What about the private data that each of us has at home?
Burglars and other criminals can draw an astonishing number of conclusions from people’s paper trash. A large box that said there was a high-quality television in it? Indicates that it might be worth going into the house or apartment. Catalogs with address labels? Indicates that the addressee has a customer account with the retailer – this is interesting for credit fraudsters who order in the name and at the expense of strangers and redirect the delivery to their own address.
Account statements, passwords, logins, invoices and documents such as ID cards, passports and certificates are also sensitive. The likelihood that criminals are just waiting for someone from the neighborhood to roll the paper bin to the side of the road in the evening may be small. But it is not impossible. It is even more likely that the waste paper will be distributed in the street by a strong gust of wind. Here, too, it is unpleasant when other people can see the draft tax return, the notification from the office or the credit card statement.
What can you do?
Document shredders as an attachment for the waste paper basket are available from ten euros. The shredder waste can then be disposed of with the waste paper without any problems. Cutting it up or making it unrecognizable with color can also help.
The professional document shredders usually also offer that citizens can personally bring their files, documents or electronic data carriers to one of their locations. The garbage data is then professionally destroyed and disposed of there. Above all, it is important to be sensitive to your own paper trail.