This discrete list of exceptions to the confidentiality rule does not pertain to the inadvertent disclosure of information that could result from careless garbage disposal. At the very least, a CPA would be very embarrassed if information regarding a client was obtained through a search of garbage. There may not only be a loss of face but also a loss of client and reputation. In addition, a client may also be able to hold the CPA legally liable for damages. Furthermore, there are ethical and professional implications for the seeming breach of a professional ethical standard.
None involve inadvertent disclosure of client information.
Nevertheless, liability for such a disclosure is implicit in the language of Rule 301. It is apparent that there is no safe harbor for a CPA whose client's confidential information falls into the wrong hands. Unauthorized access to documents, records and workpapers could result in a quagmire of lawsuits and disciplinary hearings for the unwary practitioner. In order to avoid such liability, accounting firms should adopt precautionary and defensive tactics to minimize public access to private papers. In an effort to determine how significant the problem is, a survey was conducted in 1992 to investigate actual procedures at accounting firms.