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Recently, NAID has received several inquiries and concerns from members about new organizations that have entered the secure destruction industry. Two organizations in particular are offering industry certifications and members of the NAID Board of Directors are asking that members be cautious about their involvement and/or interaction with those organizations.

Within the last several months the North American Shredding Association (NASA) and Mobile Shredding Association began selling memberships and certifications. Ideally, these sites should post their bylaws, ownership details, and leadership information but that information could not be located. Such transparency is the key to credibility in the market and should be demanded by the industry.

For your protection, NAID suggests that industry professionals who are considering affiliations with these or other organizations verify their corporate status and ownership by checking with the regulators in the state of which they are incorporated. This is usually done through the offices of the Secretary of State. Additionally, website and domain ownership can be checked at www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp, www.dotster.com/ or similar sites.

With the appearance of two such websites, it is obvious that selling certifications for profit will continue. During a time when anyone can easily create a website, the board is concerned about the potential of members and consumers being misled or otherwise misinformed. Please feel free to contact NAID if you have specific questions about this matter at 602-788-6273 or [email protected].

Source: www.NAIDonline.org. July 2013