Avoid Identity Theft With Proper E-Waste Disposal Methods
In the last decade, identity theft has become a prevalent issue for not only independent citizens but entire companies, as well. All companies – no matter the size or scope – have customers and employees whom they have a responsibility to protect. Specifically in this scenario, we are talking about the companies protecting the important data and information about their employees and customers that they hold. This article will explain how to avoid identity theft with proper e-waste disposal methods.
While a lot of people tend to take the time and care to protect their information and their data, there are far too many people and companies that tend to neglect to protect potentially sensitive information that can be found on older computers as well as other electronic devices and technology. This is the exact situation where proper e-waste disposal and recycling methods come into play to help protect everyone involved, as well as the environment.
Personal Info And Old Electronics
It may not really come as a surprise to hear, but nearly all of our electronics hold all kinds of information, not only about us but about everyone we interact with. While there are lots of occasions where this type of info hive can help us in our day-to-day lives, this is the exact kind of data trove that can be used to aid in identity theft. With everything from a bank account and credit card information to your social security number, there is a lot of sensitive information that can be stored in old electronics that can then be extracted by those with the knowledge and skills to do so. Proper e-waste disposal is one of the best ways to make sure that all of this potentially sensitive information is fully wiped when you toss your electronic waste.
One of the things that makes this type of data breach worse, is that when an electric device is thrown out or thrown away, the information and data stored on it essentially becomes public domain. The majority of municipalities have a ruling that when you put trash out, it ceases to be your own private property. So, you have to be mindful of what kind of sensitive data you are just throwing out for anyone to pick up, especially if you are a major company.
What About Broken Electronics?
You may think that this information can only be pulled off of tech that has been disposed of because it is obsolete, or because you or your company have upgraded, and that no info can be taken from broken electronics. However, this is so far from the truth as there is a lot of information to be gleaned from broken tech. Data and information on hard disks are stored physically, and this means that even if the device that houses the disk does not work, the data can still be gathered by using another computer or device as a disk drive. With a little bit of tech-savviness and patience, you can gather a lot of information this way. So, it is important that you properly dispose of even your broken electronics. Contact us on our page for more information.