The reconstructed contents of 500 trash bags offer new insights into the extent of spying activities by the East German secret police, or Stasi, in West Germany.
As the German regional public broadcaster RBB recently reported, the Stasi ran an extensive program of stealing identities of tens of thousands of West German citizens to enable their spies to operate freely in the West...
This massive fraud came to light when the agency of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi records completed the reconstruction of about a million torn-up documents, or the contents of about 500 trash bags. The reconstruction was accomplished, for the most part, through meticulous work by hand. (more)
Spybusters Security Tip: Never use a stripcut shredder. Always crosscut, particle, or pulp shred your sensitive wastepaper. Computerized document reconstruction (de-shredding programs) are available.
