Under State Civil Code 1798.80-82, paper documents containing personally identifiable or confidential information MUST be shredded. Using standard office shredders is acceptable for the desctruction of documents other than those containing credit card numbers. The Payment Card Industry Security Standards require that any document which contains credit card numbers must be destroyed using the cross-cut shredding method.

Shredding industry standards are defined by DIN 32757-1 (DIN = Deutsches Institut für Normung, or German Institute for Standardization). There are currently six security levels assigned to paper shredders; security level one is the least secure and security level six is the most secure. These levels are important to note because they are the standard used by major shredder manufacturers.You'll find a wealth of information on the Paper-Shredder-Info website.

HSU recommends DIN Security Level 3 shredders, which are designed for shredding confidential documents and personal data. The acceptable sizes of shred are:

If you want to use a shredding service

For documents that do not contain credit card information, you can use a third-party shredding service. For more information on local options, contact Contracts and Procurement.

Some campus departments maintain locked shred containers on an ongoing basis; many departments arrange for locked containers for the end-of-term. Check with your ASC for more information on shredding options in your department.