This is a fairly common issue in computer recycling and yet, many of us who recycle  computers still fail to observe basic safety measures to protect ourselves. I’m talking about identity theft and data protection.

That PC or laptop you’re using right now to read this post have bytes and bytes of personal data in it, that could have a devastating impact on you, if those are ever obtained by unscrupulous individuals. When the time comes for you to recycle that computer, here are a few things you can do to prevent that from happening.

Retrieve Your Data

Before sending off you’re equipment to a computer recycling or refurbishing company or back to the manufacturer, ensure that you’ve saved valuable data in an alternative storage device or equipment. Pin codes, pin numbers, bank and credit card information, passwords - all these sensitive information that you critically need - must be extracted and transferred elsewhere. You can use CDs, disks, flash drives, and other portable storage devices for this purpose.

If you’re like me, you can manually copy these into an old-fashioned handy dandy physical notebook (not the computer). It’s tedious but it’s 100%-electronic spying proof. Admittedly, I have to deal with a different kind of danger, like losing this notebook and ending up in the same predicament if some hacker extracts personal  information from my hard drive. But, you can’t be too paranoid these days.

Some people apparently have more than passwords and codes to protect. A guy in Hong Kong took his laptop to a shop for maintenance and the technicians there saw album after album of pictures showing him in compromising position with many famous people in that island. The pictures got pasted all over the internet, rocking the  celebrity establishment there in a scandal that reverberates up to today. You may not be a celebrity, but you do understand the need to protect yourself, at all times. And this brings us to the next step in your computer recycling protective measures.

Erase Your Data - Permanently

After you have all the valuable information copied and stored elsewhere, it’s now time to destroy all that data in your old computer so no one else can retrieve it. In a study conducted by a security company last year, they found out that 80% of computers turned over for recycling or thrown away in the landfills (DON’T DO THIS, please) still contain some recoverable data in them.

One way of permanently removing data is to physically destroy the hard drive. Think of a wrecking ball or a sledge hammer. It might seem funny and overkill for some people or impractical for many, but it’s quite reliable. Destroying the hard drive, disk drives, etc. before computer recycling ensures that no data can be extracted from that piece of equipment.

Another recommended method is what is known as “degaussing.” This is done by using a magnet or a magnetic device in close proximity to the hard drive. This effectively erases some data in the hard drive by rendering the domains in “random patterns with no preference to orientation, thereby rendering previous data unrecoverable.” Some domains in the disk, however, may not be affected by this magnetic realignment and may still contain some recoverable data, so degaussing is not 100% reliable.

A third method is overwriting the data several times to make it irretrievable. This is accomplished through the use of software. There are available applications that you can buy and other free applications to overwrite data. This is a very effective method of removing data and is commonly used by the computer recycling companies themselves.
When go and install a software, check the overwrite standard for data destruction. Typically, overwrite standards is any one of the following: basic (which overwrites the file with random data 4 times), the Department of Defense standard (which overwrites the file 7 times with random data) and the Super Secure standard (which overwrites the file with random data 24 times!). Apparently, the Super Secure standard is quite impressive, but the DOD method is reliable enough.

If you’re technically-challenged (although using these data over-write software are a breeze), or simply don’t have the time to do any of these, you can still make sure that you’re data is protected and removed properly. Many computer recycling companies provide information or certification describing company procedures in handling and destroying sensitive data from your equipment.

If you’re not sure - ask. Walk away from a company that’s not forthcoming about this information. There are many reputable recyclers out there and providing you with this information when you ask is a standard procedure. You can also check out non-profit groups like FreeGeek if you want to donate your computer to a worthy cause.

So, there you have it. The next time you’re packing your computer for shipment to your chosen recycler, make sure you’ve observed these basic precautions. It would  simply be awful if you get hurt when you’re simply doing your share to save and protect the environment through computer recycling.

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