This past Sunday, the movie Argo took home the Oscar for best picture at the Academy Awards. In the movie, which is based on the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, a group of Americans race against the clock to escape the country while Iranian workers try their best to sort through shredded documents detailing their identities.
But could that ever really happen? How realistic is it that shredded documents could be reassembled and searched for information?
Reassembling shredded documents is a real possibility
It turns out that the document reassembly that happened in Argo is a more serious threat than you might think:
- The reassembly in Argo was real. An article about the true facts of Argo found that the reassembly touted in the film actually happened. The time frame was much longer than portrayed in the film, but even without computer assistance, workers were able to reassemble shredded documents.
- Reassembly by computer is becoming streamlined. In a recent DARPA competition, a group of computer programmers were able, in their free time, to come up with a program that “unshredded” documents with a great deal of accuracy.
- Not all shredders are created equal. As MSN.com notes, not all shredders are created equal. Most basic shredders leave enough pieces to be reassembled, and even though dumpster diving isn’t incredibly common, in some cases such basic shredding may not be enough.
Keeping unwanted eyes off of confidential information
The most efficient way to secure your old data is to hire a shredding and data destruction service like Datashield to do all the work for you. Datashield works efficiently and securely with a National Association for Information Destruction certification in order to keep your information safe, and removes any of the hassle that comes along with doing document destruction in-house.
Adaptive document destruction for any situation
No matter the needs of your business, Datashield has you covered. Whether your business is big or small, chances are you have a multitude of sensitive documents that you need to get rid of safely.
So, even if you’re not going to be taken hostage if your shredded documents are discovered and reassembled, why take the chance? Contact Datashield today for more information on how we can help make sure the worst doesn’t happen with your information.
