Have Your Say: Data disposal

We are all encouraged to take care with any documents which contain our financial or personal details. But are banks and other companies doing the same?

The Information Commissioner is investigating how customers' personal information was found in bins outside a post office and three banks in Southampton.

How do you dispose of your own personal financial information?

Does it concern you that your financial records might not get properly disposed of by banks and other financial institutions?

Are you given enough information about what happens to such sensitive information?

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I've just had a copy of my statements sent through from my bank so I can claim unfair bank charges. After not getting them, and ringing to complain, I received them two days later - complete with someone else's - who lives in Aberdeen!
Andy B

I use my credit card for just about everything I purchase. I also shop a great deal on the internet with my credit card. I am meticulous about disposal of any mail I get through the door. I shred papers like credit card statements that I want to dispose of. I also cut my name and address out of every envelope or sheet of paper. It is exhaustive but I feel extremely nervous about all I hear in the news including Watchdog this week which highlighted that people search bins and piece together credit cards that have been cut into four pieces and then use the telephone to do their business with the three digit security number clearly visible.
Ann Bradshaw, Croydon

What is the point of destroying names and addresses? A phone book has thousands for everyone to see Christine Nicholls, London

My bank always sends my National Insurance details on my bank statements each month relating to my pension. I have contacted the pension service but they say it's the bank's fault. Therefore there is my name and address, National Insurance number, and bank account number on each statement. Why is nothing done about this? It must be the same for everyone. By the way, what is the point of destroying names and addresses? A phone book has thousands for everyone to see and information can be acquired from the electoral register!
Christine Nicholls, London

To Prunella Theaker, who said that her council won't accept shredded paper for recycling: Try composting. I add my shredded paper to my compost bin and it rots down nicely, helping to balance out what would otherwise be too many grass clippings. You can be secure and green at the same time!
Keith, Cheltenham

I run a popular consumer redress website. In the course of running the site, I have seen many banks send full personal details including names, addresses and financial records to the wrong person! If the banks don't care as registered data controllers, is it any wonder that this apathy falls down the line?
Dave, Kent

Banks should provide a facility to allow customers to shred old credit cards. When I get a new card, it takes me ages to cut the card into enough pieces so that the number cannot be read.
Nick Farina, Liverpool

I work for a high street bank and this is something that is taken very seriously. It would not happen at my branch. I would like to point out that the errors that are mentioned are/will be down to human error - how can you prevent that?
Trevor, UK

With many shops still printing the full card number on card receipts, the security and disposal of the merchant's as well as your own copy becomes important. However, you have no control over the shop's procedures.
Robert, Keswick

I found documents from two banks in a bin next to where I work! Andrew Hepworth, Leeds

I found documents from two banks in a bin next to where I work! This included the client's phone numbers and other personal details. I always shred personal documents once I have finished with them. It comes as no surprise to me what these organisations don't do, recent news reports prove that even if our information is shredded or destroyed, there are corrupt people within their organisations ready to sell our personal data which is held on "secure" computer systems.
Andrew Hepworth, Leeds

Banks impose fixed penalties (which they say are charges not penalties) for customer transgression. If a bank negligently discloses or carelessly discards customer details then they should be charged a fixed fee that would go to their customer. After all, if they sent your details to another customer or binned them unshredded, then in order to safeguard against identity theft you would have to pay for credit checks with the three leading credit reference agencies for several months afterwards and the bank should make a payment to cover the fees. A fixed sum of £500 should cover the cost. How about the ombudsman imposing this as a rule of banks doing business?
Tom, Birmingham

I am an avid listener to Money Box and happen to be a reports developer for large database systems. The problem is not technology but accountability. In my opinion, one solution is to put on every document the system ID of the person producing it. This encourages people to take responsibility, not disclose information, not lose it, and to shred it once it has served its purpose. An additional solution - a page footer with a message such as "This document is for internal use only. Unauthorised distribution is prohibited." For some reason people take a one-liner produced by a database more seriously than occasional verbal reminders from management!
Bai Bide, Glasgow

Organisations which hold personal data should use the data properly Mohammed, Stevenage

I use a shredder and I'm very careful about giving out any personal information to a third party. I never buy anything on the internet. Organisations which hold personal data should use the data properly. Thanks to the BBC for bringing this subject up.
Mohammed, Stevenage

Search the internet and you will find software to re-assemble shredded paper after scanning. I shred and flush it down the loo. I had my identity used 20 years ago to run up various bills. It cost me a great deal of money to clear it up. Everyone just wanted their money and no-one was interested that it wasn't me that had spent it. Now I never give information away, pay cash for goods and never trust any government department. I now continue to do very well. I have learned!
Anon, London

We burn all paperwork even if it only has our names on it, we subscribe to all the "preference services" so that we minimise our personal data getting out. I don't use credit cards / online banking and so on. I am most paranoid about my credit card transactions. Yet still I was a victim of an "internet dating service". The bank refused to tell me why/what had happened and wouldn't comment on my concerns that they were shipping data outside the UK. I've since closed all accounts with that bank, and have moved to an ethical bank. I have no idea if they are more secure, but I know they do not ship my data overseas for processing, which is a start.
T Strutt, Buxton

Cross cut shredding is perfectly secure for 99.9% of offices John Livingston

I work for a company that sells shredders. I thought the remarks by the contributor suggesting that particles from a shredder could be scanned then digitally re-assembled was most unhelpful. Whilst it's technically possible, it is highly unlikely. The most basic cross cut shredder cuts an A4 sheet into over 300 pieces. The average office model will shred 300 sheets before empting the bin by which time there are over 100,000 particles in the bag. Cross cut shredding is perfectly secure for 99.9% of offices.
John Livingston

My simple solution is better than a shredder, put it in the Rayburn. It saves coal and logs and cooks my meals.
Keith Thomas, Haverfordwest

I recently took advantage of 0% finance for some house purchases. I could not understand why I had to give details of my maiden name and date of birth as well as bank information for direct debit. If I did not reveal this information then the advance finance was not going to be available. I notice that you are also required to give your date of birth for junk mail catalogues.
E Paton, Angus

As I bank online and often print out my bank statements, I have always made sure I shred all documents before disposing of them. However, we are now informed that our local household recycling facilities cannot handle shredded paper - hence I now shred my sensitive material and dump it in the household-waste bin rather than in the paper-recycling bin. Help the environment by recycling whole sheets of paper or risk identity fraud? There is no choice - sorry, trees, sorry, environment.
Prunella Theaker, Chichester, West Sussex

What you can't do is ensure others are as careful as you Jamie Jamieson, Scarborough

You may be really careful with your personal information but what you can't do is ensure others are as careful as you. Information lost in the post, burglary, net hacking, data breaches, collusion, the list is almost endless these days.
Jamie Jamieson, Scarborough

While making a regular foreign transfer, my bank insisted on seeing a copy of sensitive details of my internet account with another bank - and then photocopied them! Their branch security was so poor that I felt I had no option but to close my internet account to protect my security. When I complained to the ombudsman about this breach of security, he upheld the bank's view that their employees have to sign a confidentiality agreement and so my internet account details were not at risk!
John Gilmour, Edinburgh

Banks don't always leave it to the rubbish sorters to find clients' details. One posted me the expenditure details of someone else's account and presumably mine to another person! Drawing it to their attention just resulted in a letter saying they try not to let this happen! Pathetic.
Michael, Sheffield

I have long been concerned with junk mail containing not just the address for postal purposes but also on the attached application form. A recent junk letter had my name or address or both nine times in one letter. I always shred anything with an address on it but because of the repetitious nature, I could always miss one.
Wally Quirk, Bingley, West Yorkshire

A well known credit card company sends me advertising letters frequently - often more than twice a week. They always end up in the bin. And they print my full card account number on all the letters. So I can't just chuck them in the bin, they have to be shredded. This practice should cease immediately as they are putting the integrity of my accounts in jeopardy.
Roger Boyce, Romsey, Hampshire

I am appalled that other organisations aren't as careful as I assumed they would be Jenny Matthews, Whitby, North Yorkshire

I use a shredder and I am careful to destroy any personal information in order to help combat crime. I am appalled that other organisations aren't as careful as I assumed they would be. I expected them to be the leaders in this field and find it very disheartening that they may be leaving me open to fraud. They should be penalised and some sort of code introduced to force them to comply to a certain standard. Thank you for highlighting this gross inefficiency.
Jenny Matthews, Whitby, North Yorkshire

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The comments we publish are not necessarily the views of the BBC but will reflect the balance of views we have received. It is helpful if contributors state if they work for any organisation relevant to an issue discussed. Readers should form their own views on whether messages published represent undeclared interests, or views prompted by a common source.