I

t used to be an easy choice – simply put your sensitive document through the office shredder and your liability ended there. Or did it? We’ve all heard the countless stories of shred residue being reconstructed with a wealth of information gleaned from strips of spaghetti like particles. The most infamous example may be from 1979 at the American embassy in Tehran. After the Iranian Revolution, the embassy was raided and hundreds of civilians were able to reassemble classified documents after a high security disintegrator (large knifemill) jammed and a less secure strip cut shredder was engaged.  That episode led to the reevaluation of the classified destruction standard and the beginning of a shredding revolution that continues to this day.