Before you recycle computers, there’s something you should know. When most people recycle a computer, they don’t think twice about what they might be leaving behind on the machine. Data sensitive to your life or business could still be recoverable by people looking to take advantage of it.
Isn’t it enough to wipe your computer? Wipe your data? The answer is no.
Before up-cycling your computer or sending it to a recycling center, please take the time to understand what you need to do to secure your data. Read on, and we’ll discuss this further.
Recycle Computers, Not Your Data
If you’ve used one of the standard formatting tools available to Windows or Macs, you might be thinking you’ve managed to wipe your data. As we said, it isn’t gone.
When you do a quick format or a normal format, all of the data remains in its binary form. It’s all sitting there, lurking, waiting for the right person to come along and find it. If somebody knows what they are doing, you could lose sensitive information.
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There’s a technique referred to as zeroing. It rewrites all of the 1s and 0s on the drive with 0s, causing permanent erasure. You might hear a lot of promises from cheap services or software offering to do this.
Do you want to put your data in the hands of a company that cuts corners, though?
Using a Hammer Isn’t Going to Work
Can’t you destroy your hard drive before up-cycling your computer? You could, but as crazy as it sounds, there’s still a chance somebody may reassemble the disk. That’s why services dedicated to the erasure and disposal of electronic devices exist.
Take a look at one of these ITAD solutions, for example. They have a specific suite of tools designed to erase all of that data, making it irrecoverable.
Whether you’ve got a lot of sensitive or personal information stored on your computer or not, it’s the first thing we would recommend anybody to do.
Where to Put the Remains
Now that you can say your data is safe with the utmost certainty, it’s time to dispose of the machine itself. You’ve got a couple of great options here.
People are looking for spare parts on sites like Facebook Marketplace and eBay. Even if the machine isn’t functional, you might manage to sell it for the components. Charities are another great option.
Be wary about using recycling centers, as you’ll want to ensure that they aren’t disposing of the e-waste in a non-harmful fashion.
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The Dangers of Technology
They’ve become such a part of our everyday lives that it’s easy to forget we are at risk when we recycle computers. They have full access to your life, from pictures to passwords. That’s why you can never be too safe when you are getting rid of one.
As we continue to rely on computers and phones, information like this will become more and more valuable. That’s why it’s good to keep freshening up your knowledge of technology.
Browse through the blog if you think you’d be interested in learning more about technology. There are plenty of other helpful articles available to read.
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