A Single Data Breach Can Bankrupt Even the Largest Insurance Company | TechWaste Recycling

At the end-user level, data destruction in the gaming community may not make much difference, but the companies that manufacture and distribute the games need to be very conscientious in managing the personally identifiable information that they collect from customers. There are state, national, and international laws in place that govern the storage and use of these data, and the agencies that enforce them take a dim view of companies that misuse customer data or fail to keep it confidential.

What Is Personally Identifiable Information?

Personally identifiable information is any data that can be traced back specifically to an individual user. It includes information like names, phone numbers, Social Security Numbers, etc., but it also can include visual data taken from facial recognition software or biometric data collected from the motion sensors integral to several popular gaming platforms. 

What Are the Laws That Govern PII?

One of the most recent, as well as the most far-reaching, laws pertaining to personally identifiable information is the General Data Protection Regulation, passed by the European Union in 2016 and implemented last year. Among other provisions, it requires that any processor of personal data in the EU must disclose any data collection. Since companies in the United States may have European customers, many have taken the steps to become GDPR-compliant to avoid running afoul of international law. 

Information contained in consumer reports is protected by the Federal Trade Commission’s Disposal Rule. It requires that any information contained in or derived from consumer reports must be properly disposed of to protect against access to or use of the information by unauthorized entities. There are also federal laws protecting data specifically related to health care, but health data is distinct from consumer data in the eyes of the law.

Regulation of PII collected by individual businesses is often delegated to state governments. There are laws on the books requiring private and/or government entities to destroy PII when no longer needed in 35 states, plus Puerto Rico. The laws pertain to electronic data as well as paper records and require the affected entities to make the personal information unreadable or undecipherable. 

Keep in mind as well that a company’s responsibility to safeguard customer data extends beyond the termination of the active business relationship.

What Are the Potential Costs of Data Breaches?

A leak of customer data can not only get a business in trouble with the law. It can also cost a company in terms of revenue, as well as trust and goodwill from customers. 

TechWaste Recycling provides military-grade data destruction to comply with the highest possible standards.

TechWaste Recycling directly services all of Southern California and provides pickup services to its facilities from nationwide locations. Visit TechWaste Recycling’s website at www.techwasterecycling.com to schedule a pickup that works for your convenience and schedule.

Learn more about TechWaste’s data destruction process here: Secure Data Destruction Services

Contact Info:
Richard Steffens
1940 E. Occidental street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 866-637-8469