A system to measure the effectiveness of paper shredders was felt necessary as paper shredders are an important defense against theft of identity and personal data.

Strip cutting shredders produce strips of waste paper that can be reassembled by determined thieves and investigators.

Since the purpose of shredding is to attain a level of security, ratings have now been developed to reflect the effectiveness of shredders.

Given below is a look at the security rating system that can assist you to set up a secure paper-shredding system for the home or business user. The criteria of the program will depend on the importance and sensitivity of the documents that need to be destroyed.

Personal details such as names, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, date of birth etc, are basic and will need to be fully protected.

FACTA has given guidelines that require such personal information must be destroyed adequately and has approved shredding as an acceptable choice.

Another method of grading the security level of shredders is Nietzsche Industrial Norm or DIN. This method of European origin sets six levels of security given below.

Level 1 - is a general to low level, fit for general documents

Level 2 - is a low to medium level and suits internal papers

Level 3 - is a confidential to medium level and is great for documents which contain personal as well as confidential data

Level 4 - is for sensitive to medium to high levels and are good for confidential documents

Level 5 - is classified as high to the maximum level

Level 6 - is absolutely top secret and requires the highest level of security that is possible.

The type of shredder chosen should reflect the level of security sought to be obtained using that shredder.

A strip cutting shredder presents the lowest level of security. Information thieves are known to successfully reassemble shredded documents in strip form and retrieve valuable information.

The next level of security is achieved by the Confetti shredder, or cross cutting shredders. This type of shredding is adequate for most other levels of security sought.

As such, these are popular for both home and small business users. The waste generated is of the cross cut or confetti type.

The security level classification is normally printed on the packaging material of the shredder and this must be studied prior to purchase the type that is needed. Most businesses take back up copies on Cd's, floppy disks and other storage devices, which may also need to be shredded.

Apart from these, cardboard and other items might need to be shredded too. The functions that the shredder can perform and the materials that can be shredded will also be normally available on the packing material and this will help you choose correctly.

Additional power may be needed to do heavy-duty work and this too must be taken into account prior to purchase.

FACTA ruling has increased the liability of individuals and businesses to take adequate measures to protect personal information.

Victims of identity theft can now recover damages from you up to $1,000 an incident and State and local bodies can levy fines of $2,500 an incident when personal information has not been properly destroyed.

Some establishments now have multiple shredders to handle different levels of security in different departments. Responsible shredding can be simple if you are aware of the levels of security needed to be adhered to.

By complying with the laws on shredding, you will not only protect your employees, business associates and clients from identity theft, you will also deter thieves. In today's world of growing of identity theft, shredding makes good sense.