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Only large governmental agencies can afford to reassemble confetti into documents.

No longer true.
http://www.churchstreet-technology.com/

In 2003, ChurchStreet charged $2,000 for a cubic foot of strip-shreds, and $8,000-$10,000 of cross-shreds of standard size of 1/32 × 7/16 inch (0.8 × 11.1 mm) strips.

From the ChurchStreet's FAQ.

10) Can the reconstruction software be purchased?

Not unless you are a qualifying intelligence agency. Our digitizing techniques and proprietary software cannot be purchased at this time unless your team is a high level governmental intelligence team. For others, ChurchStreet offers the reconstruction as a service, not as a product to be purchased.

Qualifying intelligence agencies should call ChurchStreet directly to get more information about our Reconstruction Software Suite.

This is just a simple(?) exercise in matching edges and colors at those edges to each other in all the piecess. This is how a standard jigsaw puzzle is assembled in 'meatspace'. ChurchStreet's software likely does this all inside the computer after the document shreds have been scanned in.

These guys are in the best postion to write/adapt such software and make it available to the public at large--not just government intelligence organizations.

P.S. For secure document destruction, burn it--it is the only way to be sure the document cannot be reconstructed. This applies to assorted forms of computer related information storage and processing--just toss the hard drives, CD-ROMs, floppy disks, RAM chips, memory sticks, motherboards, CRTs, etc., into the nearest (approved) incinerator and be done with it. It's an environmental/safety nightmare but the data in the destroyed media is now gone for good.

Want to give the ChurchStreet boys an 'impossible job?' Do the following:

1) Print up a document in English using a monospaced font.

2) Cross cut the document so that each character is in its own square 'cell' and is completly surrounded on all four sides by whitespace.

3) Hire ChurchStreet to reconstitute this document and send them the 'confetti'.

They won't be able to reconstruct the document because all the pieces are edgewise topologically identical to each other. The best they can do is use all the 'letters' and reconstruct all the words in the document. If they accomplish that, then they have to put them into the right order. If the document had 58 words on it, there would be so many message combinations that you could easily assign each one to every atom in the universe.

If their 'proprietary' document reconstruction techniques take into consideration the texture, grain, and thickness of the paper then they would stand a fighting to good chance of reconstituting such a 'challange document'. :)

-Ted/p

"Some cities (at least it's the case here in Vancouver) have zoning bylaws that don't allow regular wood (or, by implication, paper) burning fireplaces and stoves to be installed anymore. This may not be feasible."

Well Officer Lucky, I was just trying to comply with Federal legistration. I'm in a catch 22. Will the city pay for my fine if I violate this act?

Check out this link Officer Lucky (http://www.churchstreet-technology.com/Reconstruc tion.htm) they reconstruct cross-shredded paper, shredded paper, or any type of damaged paper in to complete documents. Shredding paper is no longer safe.

-Ted

to these people's software...