With the New Year under way it is a good time to review the compliance regulations and your procedures. It can be easy to slip into routine and fall behind on staying updated with anything that changes. In addition, the retention period of certain records may have come to an end, and it is important to stay on top of this or else face compliance fines.

State Law

There are state specific privacy laws, in addition to the national levels, which you must be aware of. Operating in only one state certainly makes it easy to be aware of, but for those who operate on a multi-state level will have to be aware of all of them and adhere to them fully. In short; the state of California requires businesses to protect their customers, and employees, private information. While this also sums up the national level, the following will touch on the state specific level.

• California Senate Bill 1386: an agency, person or business that owns or licenses computerized personal information to disclose any breach of security. With the rise in cyber security and data theft, and the loss of trust in business, this is an extremely vital law to be compliant with.
• California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003: COPPA is the California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003. This act was created for operators of commercial websites that collect confidential data of individuals who use their services. Because California is synonymous with Silicone Valley, lawmakers realized the huge need to protect Internet user information. Most of this data is stored on servers or computer hard drives. This act is another reason why it is extremely important to shred all your old hard drives, especially if you collect client information online.
• “Shine the Light” Law: This Law applies to any business that hopes to share customer data with other companies. This data becomes the responsibility of any business who ‘owns’ it and requires them to properly store and dispose of this information.
• The Privacy Act of 1974: The Privacy Act of 1974 was created specifically for any government institution in California that stores confidential information regarding any business or person. These records must be securely stored and when the time comes, shredded in compliance with this act.

For a complete list of links as well as some really good resources you should be aware of, check out our page specifically about all of these things. While there is a lot to be aware of, these things are vital in this age of information and data. Information theft is still on the rise sadly, and it is the responsibility of those who are handling sensitive information to make a difference.

One way that SAFESHRED helps out is by offering secure document shredding services for businesses and residents. When it comes to securely destroying paper documents, shredding really is the best way to do it. If you’re interested and/or would like to learn more, reach out to us and we’ll help you out.