WEEE Recycling: Data Destruction is Crucial

Social IssuesEnvironment

  • Author Ashish Kulkarni
  • Published May 3, 2011
  • Word count 489

The risks of disposal of disks containing information that you might think has been destroyed but has genuinely just been lightly erased include putting your self or your customers at risk for identity theft too as making information obtainable to unscrupulous competitors. Even recycling a computer to comply with WEEE recycling regulations does not include appropriate information destruction strategies.

These strategies incorporate degaussing, in which magnetic patterns that conform to actual data are realigned to ensure that the information is inaccessible and unrecoverable, shredding, which entails shredding media into really fine bits that can't be reassembled, and software wiping, in which all HEX values on the whole volume of a disk are overwritten making use of special software program. Within the United kingdom, such software ought to meet Data protection Act standards to be regarded as efficient for data destruction.

Laptops, such as internal hard disk drives and other internal media storage devices, need to be recycled according to WEEE regulations (EU). Even so, if information remains obtainable on any part of the device prior to, during or right after WEEE recycling procedures, it still poses a threat to your company security. As a result, devices that hold data and are subject to WEEE recycling regulations must undergo a thorough method of information destruction before recycling really should take place.

Hard drive destruction is totally imperative before WEEE recycling can begin. This is simply because even when a disk drive is seemingly erased, the details on it may be recovered and created available with out your information. Ensuring that an expert with security cleared personnel destroys the tough drive by approaches like degaussing and shredding is the only way you can make sure that any information that was ever offered on a drive that's slated for disposal can in no way be accessed again. Software wiping is recommended only for tough disk drives that will be reused after the data stored on them is fully destroyed.

Media tape drives are also effortlessly accessible if they are not totally and professionally destroyed prior to disposal. Degaussing and shredding are one of the most suggested methods for destruction of media tape drives.

Even CD's and DVD's which contain sensitive and confidential information need to never be disposed of without producing the data completely inaccessible. Total physical destruction of the media by way of precision shredding which is offered by professional media disposal firms will be the only method to guarantee that data on a CD or DVD is fully inaccessible.

Flash memory cards, external memory sticks, and similar devices ought to also be subject to information destruction measures if they have ever held sensitive information. A specialist firm which handles information destruction ought to be consulted regarding such memory devices as their small size makes it extremely straightforward for them to wind up in the wrong hands.

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