The Supreme Court has ruled that information in your trash is "fair game" to anyone. Privacy laws make you vulnerable to lawsuits when personal records are disclosed to outsiders, even by accident.
The 1974 Federal Privacy Act was established to insure that government agencies protect the privacy of individuals, and businesses with regard to information held by them, and to hold these agencies liable if any information is released without authorization. Theft, vandalism and industrial espionage are becoming ever increasing security problems. Today's information explosion can be devastating to your business. With the increased use of office copiers and computers, staggering amounts of sensitive information are being generated and carelessly discarded.

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http://www.economicespionage.com/EEA.html