Destruction Laws

MakoShred takes pride in being a member of the National Association for Information Destruction (i-SIGMA). What does this mean to you as a consumer or business owner? i- SIGMA is the international trade association for companies providing information destruction services. This means that MakoShred is committed to i-SIGMA’s standards of being a secure company. For more information please visit www.isigmaonline.org. MakoShred, as a i-SIGMA Member, considers the security and protection of our clients records our top priority. Why do we keep these high standards? Destroying confidential information is not only smart, it’s the law! MakoShred keeps you compliant with all the requirements out there today for destroying confidential information. Many laws require documents containing sensitive customer and private information be completely destroyed rather than merely disposed of in the trash. MakoShred makes it very simple and affordable to comply with these laws by providing you with confidential and secure document destruction services. Below is a list of relevant laws and summaries regarding proper disposal of certain documents. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act) HIPAA is a federal law enacted to prevent breaches and abuses, and unauthorized access of private health information. HIPAA puts very strict guidelines on the health care industry to ensure that health care organizations are responsible for the secure disposal of patient information. HIPAA is administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services, and it is enforced by the US Office of Civil Rights. HIPAA applies to any and all organizations or individuals who retain or collect health related information. Failure to destroy health information is no longer reasonable or acceptable and there are significant consequences. MakoShred provides HIPAA compliant destruction of medical records, patient documents, and more. For more information on HIPAA, visit http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/ or download SUMMARY OF THE HIPAA PRIVACY RULE FACTA (The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act) FACTA is the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, a federal law designed to reduce the risk of consumer fraud and identity theft created by improper disposal of consumer information. This applies to virtually every person and business in the United States, and violators can expect potentially severe penalties. You wouldn’t want to be held responsible for someone’s personal information leaking out, would you? Think about the effects that would have on the reputation of a business. Identity takes a lifetime to build, and only a second to lose. Using a certified i-SIGMA member like MakoShred saves you the time and worry in being compliant with FACTA. For more information on FACTA, please visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft. GLBA (The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) GLBA includes provisions to protect consumers’ personal financial information held by financial institutions. The term “financial institutions” includes not only banks, securities firms, and insurance companies, but also companies providing other types of financial services and products to consumers. GLBA requires banks to develop privacy notices and provide customers with the option of prohibiting the sharing of their confidential information with third parties. On July 1, 2001, GLBA was amended to require that financial institutions have a comprehensive, written information security program, which includes the proper destruction of documents. MakoShred provides GLBA- compliant document shredding. For more information on The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act visit http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/privacyinitiatives/glbact.html Record Retention Schedules and Guides To learn about the IRS Record Retention Policy click on the link below. http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self- Employed/How-long-should-I-keep-records The following link provides information on Arizona laws concerning record retention. Arizona State Standards for Records American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Small Business Record Keeping Guide AICPA Small Business Small Business Record Keeping Guide PDF For more information or for a quote, please contact MakoShred by phone or complete the contact form.