What is a Certificate of Destruction and Why Do I Need One?

When a graduate is handed their degree, quite often, the first thing they will proudly observe first is their name and the degree they have received. The certificate will also contain dates and signatures, and many of them will display a statement that says that the recipient of the certificate is entitled to “all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities appertaining thereto.” It serves as a form of proof that all the requirements have been met.

A Certificate of Destruction represents a similar idea, that when you choose a professional shredding company to destroy your private information, you have met all the legal requirements for protecting the privacy of the information you handed over for destruction.

What Does a Certificate of Destruction Do?

1. Proves Your Legal Compliance

A Certificate of Destruction contains a variety of information, including your business name, the shredding company’s name and address, date and time of service, method of destruction, description of items destroyed, an official statement that the destruction occurred, and official signatures.

A reputable shredding company should provide you with this proof that your paper documents, hard drives, and other media have been shredded in compliance with state and federal privacy laws, including HIPAA, FACTA, CFAA, and FERPA. If your organization is ever audited, this proof may be required.

2. Transfers Legal Responsibility

Your business is legally responsible for the protection of all personal information that has been generated, handled, used, shared, and eventually destroyed. When that information is consigned to a third party for any reason, including a shredding company, you are still responsible for its security.

A Certificate of Destruction serves as legal proof that you transferred that responsibility to the shredding company for the purpose of having it destroyed, logging what was destroyed, when, and by whom.

3. Documents the Chain of Custody

The lifecycle of any sensitive information you generate or take custody of must be tracked from beginning to end. The Certificate of Destruction shows that the chain of custody is complete now that the information has been properly destroyed.

4. Provides Peace of Mind

With a Certificate of Destruction in hand, you can rest easy knowing that your information is no longer at risk because it has been thoroughly destroyed and can never be used for any purpose. In addition, you also get the peace of mind that come with knowing the certificate proves your legal compliance.

Always Get a Certificate of Destruction

Make sure that your shredding provider provides a Certificate of Destruction, either automatically or upon request. You simply can’t do without it.

GreenServ provides professional paper shredding and hard drive destruction and product destruction to businesses in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arkansas. We automatically provide you with a Certificate of Destruction upon completion of every destruction project. For more information or to book your shredding services, call us at 662-533-0940 or complete the form on this page.