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db4dbms
September 16, 2009 2:14 PM
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Am I the only one who could see a problem with this? I mean, let's put not only 1 persons/company's sensitive documents in one place, but a ton of peoples.

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10 replies
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mac-phisto
September 16, 2009 6:37 PM
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@db4dbms: we have a mobile shredding unit that comes by my credit union every year for \"community shredding\". you watch the boxes get shredded while you're standing there. pretty fun, actually.

not free though - $5/up to 4 boxes. money goes to the rotary.

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Saboth
September 16, 2009 7:31 PM
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@mac-phisto:

My dad was once hired by a bank to clean out a large office. There were boxes and boxes of loose checks and customer info that were scattered around, and the boxes were falling apart. We were supposed to transport them to a big shredder. Problem is, we only had a big dump truck and...well it was a windy day...and....let's just say not all of the pieces of paper stayed put.

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GitEmSteveDave_HasANewiPodTouch
September 16, 2009 9:08 PM
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@Saboth: Wow, you operated a dump truck without the DOT required tarp/cover? You really were reckless.

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squinko
September 16, 2009 3:10 PM
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@db4dbms: If you have control of your documents up to the point of the shredding and actually view the documents being shredded (not to mention watching it combine with hundreds of pounds of others' shredded materials), where's the problem? It'll be especially harder for anyone to get any decent info from the material if something like a crosscut shredder is used.

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Rat_Race
September 16, 2009 5:20 PM
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@squinko: Good point, hard to find the other half of Mr. Johnson's bank statments when the rest of towns papers are mixed in. Also a decent way to run a paper recycling program at the same time.

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GitEmSteveDave_HasANewiPodTouch
September 16, 2009 2:55 PM
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@tbonekatz: Agreed. Nothing is cooler that watching an industrial shredder shred things. We had one at my old office that could do an entire case of brand new in the box paper. It was a hammer shredder and watching the demo of the case of paper going in and the ensuing cloud of dust was just sweet.

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ekthesy
September 16, 2009 3:07 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_HasANewiPodTouch:

One of my past jobs was an office manager at a business in the life insurance industry, so we had to be very careful about shredding and things like that. The shred guy came out to meet me when I started, and showed me the truck and all that. There was a video monitor on the side of the truck so you could watch stuff being shredded. This thing was a beast and could take care of full 3\" ring binders like they were tissue paper.

For laughs, he tossed in a whole bunch of Pendaflex folders (you know, they have the metal rods to suspend them in file drawers) and the noise it made was delightful.

(Enjoy your new iPod!)

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pecan 3.14159265
September 16, 2009 2:51 PM
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@db4dbms: This was my first thought as well. People who don't make shredding their sensitive documents a regular practice may not notice when one or two important pieces of paper go missing.

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Saboth
September 16, 2009 2:20 PM
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@db4dbms:

\"Hey, where'd my box of checks go? They were right here a second ago! And...where's my wallet??\"

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RandomHookup
September 16, 2009 2:19 PM
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@db4dbms: I'll be volunteering at the event and bringing along a handheld scanner. My friends in Nigeria will be quite pleased.

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Tawnie is Monster Mashing
September 16, 2009 2:27 PM
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I live just outside of Tucson,AZ which happens to also be in the state with the highest ID theft in the country. there is NO WAY I will be participating in this. It is just too risky as I would not trust the local government here to do anything correctly.

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1 replies
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Rat_Race
September 16, 2009 5:25 PM
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@tawni: Understandable, but at least a professional shredding company will be taking part, so the city isn't completely in charge, God knows they can't be left to their own devices without super vistion.


Live right on the county line of Pima and Marana myself.

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RandomHookup
September 16, 2009 2:34 PM
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The concept of shredding stuff in a high capacity shredder would be right up there for an interesting way to spend some time. Kinda like watching the crew feed lumber into a wood chipper.

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3 replies
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Révolution
September 16, 2009 7:40 PM
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@RandomHookup: I crosscut shred it, then I put it in the fireplace (indoor or outdoor). If I feel lazy, I just burn the stack of papers (unshredded) If they steal my ID by sorting through the ash bin+the ones floating in the air, they deserve my money.

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TVGenius
September 16, 2009 3:14 PM
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@RandomHookup: I just put all my stuff in a 5 gallon bucket and fill it halfway with water. Let it soak and stir a couple times a day for a week or so, and, voila, pulp. Good luck putting that back together. Even better than shredding.

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Rectilinear Propagation
September 16, 2009 3:28 PM
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@TVGenius: I split up the trash: some goes in the dumpster now, some goes a week later, some gets thrown away at a different location.

You can't put it back together if you don't have all the pieces.

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madanthony
September 16, 2009 5:02 PM
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@Rectilinear Propagation:

I just make sure that the used kitty litter goes in the trash bag right above the shredded stuff. If anyone is willing to go through a week's worth of kitteh poop, they deserve to steal my identity.

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tbonekatz
September 16, 2009 2:41 PM
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The article says you watch your personal items get shredded. It's not like you just drop off your stuff and it gets shredded later. How would that be risky?

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7 replies
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TVarmy
September 16, 2009 5:59 PM
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@tbonekatz: With a high resolution digital camera, you could probably catch a few SSNs and credit card numbers.

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Tawnie is Monster Mashing
September 16, 2009 2:59 PM
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@tbonekatz: Until you have seen the everything that can and does go wromg in this mismanaged city then you probably would not see why I would never trust them with anything.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 16, 2009 2:52 PM
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@tbonekatz: I think it's the idea that a lot of people are converging in one location, armed with lots of sensitive documents, and mistakes happen. People lose track of stuff, they are inattentive, the wind picks up and papers fly out of an uncovered box. I don't see it as being a ton of risk, but a significant one that people who don't shred their documents at all wouldn't necessarily see.

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GitEmSteveDave_HasANewiPodTouch
September 16, 2009 3:05 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: I might agree with you, but if you're bringing the papers somewhere, then you more than likely have them in a container. If it's an industrial shredder, then the cardboard box it's in is no problem for the thing, and you won't have to take the lid off.

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hi
September 16, 2009 2:51 PM
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@tbonekatz: I can show you a cool magic trick where I put a rabbit in a shedder and it dissapears and then it later reappears in your ear.


It's not risky at all.

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PlayerX
September 16, 2009 4:51 PM
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@hi: Here's how they'd go down:

You: ta-dah!
Me: Hey, the rabbit I gave you was brown! This one's white.

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trunkwontopen
September 16, 2009 2:50 PM
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@tbonekatz: Right, I'm not really following the nay-sayers of this. I think its a wonderful idea, and I'm actually kinda bummed I didn't think of this first.

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DoodlestheGreat
September 16, 2009 2:47 PM
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When we first got a home shredder, we had piles of old tax records and other sensitive files dating back for decades to destroy. But it's amazing how much you can get done while watching TV.

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Schmack
September 16, 2009 3:14 PM
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I've worked several of these shred-it events in conjunction with a local TV station. I obviously can't speak to the security of any other event/service, but we do our best to protect the consumers' information after it has been dropped off.


Consumers are allowed to bring up to four banker boxes or similar containers, which we load onto carts and drag into a coordinated alley where boxes are temporarily stacked outside a shredding truck to (briefly) wait their turn. Consumers may walk with us to make sure their items are dropped off but they can't reclaim or pick up anything already staged for destruction.


We don't accept just anyone who volunteers for positions where they'll actually be handling sensitive data and we don't allow non-staff/volunteers to loiter in the staging areas.


So far we haven't been a target for roving bands of scavengers, all looking for that one big score, and the documents we get are destroyed as quickly as possible.


If your ID theft fears are so deep that you'd distrust a certified shredding company, maybe it's best for everyone if you just stay home and DIY.

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Segador
September 16, 2009 3:18 PM
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It looks like that poor kitty is sitting in a pile of cigarette butts. :(

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1 replies
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GitEmSteveDave_HasANewiPodTouch
September 16, 2009 4:07 PM
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@Segador: Kitteh tried to quit after seeing the Truth.com commercials, but was addicted.

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Rectilinear Propagation
September 16, 2009 3:26 PM
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I've seen several banks and credit unions have shredding events on a regular basis.

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perro.malo
September 16, 2009 3:33 PM
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I bring my shredables into work and put them in the \"Shred-It\" bin. Once a month the shred truck comes and grinds everything into dust. Is it safe and secure? I sure hope so since the other stuff in there is identifiable medical information.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 16, 2009 4:22 PM
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A friend of mine used to work at a company that had shred boxes, and they would have the big industrial truck come once a week and shred all the papers inside the boxes. The finance office decided to discontinue using one of its corporate cards, and tossed the card into the shred box (the box has a small slot, and you can't open it or put your arm into it). After one of these shredding days, the finance office saw unauthorized charges to the card. Turns out, it was fished out by an employee of the shredding company, and was used.

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3 replies
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Rectilinear Propagation
September 16, 2009 6:48 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Did the card not end up shredded or was it just easy to find the plastic pieces since everything else was just paper?

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GitEmSteveDave_HasANewiPodTouch
September 16, 2009 5:02 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: I don't know. The bonds these companies take out to do this are pretty high. Also, if they discontinued use of it, they didn't cancel it? Seems fishy, almost S-Word worthy.

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mazzic1083
September 16, 2009 6:28 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_HasANewiPodTouch: Please, please, post your kick-ass Super Troopers shenanigans pict-o-rama!


I always love seeing that pop up when someone claims S-Word

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DaWezl
September 16, 2009 4:26 PM
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We've used these events to take care of all our shredding for over a year now. For everyone freaking out about the security, the events we've gone to have all worked the same. You hand your box to a person. They walk over and put it in the shredder right in front of you. There's never a point where it leaves your sight until after it's in a thousand tiny pieces mixed with everyone else's financial confetti.

I love these events because I don't have to worry about stupid fake credit cards or staples or anything that would jam up our home shredder, and it takes me 30 seconds vs. hours at home.

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PlayerX
September 16, 2009 4:46 PM
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I've just bought myself a cross-cut shredder. I had about 5 years' worth of old bills, government forms, taxes and so forth just laying about my house in big, fat envelopes.

I've shredded them all, now, but my new problem is one of disposal. I have about 5 bags of shreddings that I need to carefully dispose of.

I've already decided that I'm going to dump them all into a big bin and mix 'em up before I re-bag 'em and recycle them in different weeks until they're all gone.

Is that enough?

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1 replies
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mazzic1083
September 16, 2009 6:30 PM
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@PlayerX: I would pee on them first, flame it up, and then use the ashes to litter my garden for fresh compost. Might be a lot of environmental issues there but you'll be safer and disposing of trash the old-country-way

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meadandale
September 16, 2009 5:06 PM
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You can get a crosscut shredder at Costco or Office Depot/Staples for under a $100. While you are at it, buy a blue paper recycle trash can.

When you open your mail, throw the envelopes and other stuff that has no personal information in it in the recycle can and put the stuff with your identification on it through the shredder.

Then dump the contents of both into your recycle bin for weekly pickup by the trash collectors.

It's really not that hard...

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2 replies
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Chocotanya
September 16, 2009 5:54 PM
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@meadandale: Shredded paper can't be recycled in my jurisdiction but has to be added to the trash. Unfortunate, but probably best to check out.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 16, 2009 5:20 PM
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@meadandale: My shredder was only $30 from Staples. It's been a real champ, and is a perfect size to fit under a desk.


I'd buy a blue recycle bin, but I'm afraid it'll get stolen. I could plaster my apartment number all over it, but I still have to leave it (filled, of course) near the trash chute because there isn't a dedicated recycle bin owned by my apartment complex.

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zwizer25
September 16, 2009 5:09 PM
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Fire pit in my backyard + lighter > any shredder

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1 replies
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scoosdad
September 16, 2009 5:52 PM
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A little oil (vegetable spray or WD-40 type) sprayed into the blades of a typical cheap cross cut shredder does wonders for its workings and longevity.

The thing I hate to shread are the prescription paperwork that CVS provides with a refill. Most of it is printed on peel off label stock paper, so it can do double-duty as a label for the prescription, and that gets stuck very easily all over a cross cutters blades and clogs it up fast. So I pile those up and burn them in my fireplace about twice a year.

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MailBoss
September 16, 2009 7:37 PM
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A Paper Shredder Catch 22:


Most people are shredding their sensitive documents now a days. Good stuff. Just want to point out that most of what people shred comes from their mailbox... and MOST Americans (approximately 60 million, anyway) still have unlocked curbside mailboxes...


Mail theft is a huge problem, and how are you going to know if your mail was stolen? At least if you have a crappy locking mailbox (most of them are..) you'll notice if it has been pried into, unless its the kind you can just reach into.


Americans who are shredding need to get smart and realize that the venerable paper shredder is completely futile if you're not protecting the sensitive documents at their source: the mailbox. A good locking mailbox should be heavy-gauge steel and not be able to be fished by hand or pried open with a screwdriver. The Mail Boss is one good quality mailbox, so are the Fort Knox and the Armadillo.

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2 replies
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H3ion
September 16, 2009 10:32 PM
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@MailBoss: I'd be happy if I could just get the Post Office to deliver mail to the address on the envelope. I've had two letters returned this week, both properly addressed. The mailman couldn't find the addressee. Unfortunately, the addressee is in a single user building with its name in lights across the front. I'm also amazed at how we have daily swap meets in my neighborhood, where I give the neighbors their mail and they give me mine. Thank heaven for Federal Express.

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MailBoss
September 17, 2009 8:02 PM
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@H3ion: Well it sounds like you may have a mentally challenged mail carrier!!! How frustrating:(

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AppleAlex
September 16, 2009 10:47 PM
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I recently taught my mother the wonders of shredding as she used to spend an hour or so every Saturday tearing all the documents to pieces by hand

the only thing I hate is the machine tends to heat up quite a bit after about half of the documents. I love the sensitive data confetti tho

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nstonep
September 17, 2009 7:52 AM
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Wow...this sounds like a bad idea. All that juicy information in one place on one day...

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