Do you still remember how many old techs you’ve thrown in the last ten years? Chances are you don’t, especially the smaller tech gadgets.
It can be your smartphone, a flash drive, an old laptop or PC, or a tablet that has degraded, malfunctioned, or reached its maximum useful life. Regardless, it’s crucial to know that your old techs store sensitive personal information or data.
Your old devices may still contain:
- Saved login credentials, like usernames, passwords, and backup codes.
- Banking, credit card information, and other financial data.
- Photos, videos, emails, or important documents.
- Identity-related information, like ID scans.
- Work or business-related data.
If these data fall into the wrong hands, your information may be compromised and used for identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.
To ensure the security of your data, here are simple steps to dispose of your old tech gadgets safely:
Step #1: Identify devices that store sensitive data and information.
It’s important to identify your devices, which typically store sensitive data, including:
- Laptops, PCs, and external hard drives – these devices often store most of your personal files, documents, photos, videos, login credentials on apps and accounts, emails, and work/business-related data.
- Smartphones (and SIM cards), tablets, and smartwatches – these devices typically store your contact information, like phone numbers, email addresses, chat logs from texts, and social media and messaging apps.
- USB drives, SD cards, and CDs/DVDs – these small devices are easily misplaced and may still contain important files or documents. For older folks who used CDs and DVDs, they may have stored relevant information on those storage devices.
- IoT devices, like smart TVs and home assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, etc) – these devices contain personal usage patterns and preferences and may also include login credentials.
Step #2: Back up your data in another physical location or a cloud storage.
After identifying your old devices containing personal data and information for disposal, it’s also important to create a backup for your important documents before wiping them off your old gadgets.
You may create a physical backup of external hard drives or USB drives, or transfer them to another computer or laptop. However, the easier and more efficient way to do this is through a cloud storage service, like Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud. Using a cloud service will also make it easier to transfer your backup data to other devices in the future.
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Step #3: Wipe out data securely before disposing.
Whether you are gifting your old gadget to a family member or friend or disposing of it completely, you should first wipe out all your data.
Most gadgets, like laptops and computers, have built-in methods for removing files and cleaning drives. Smart phones and tablets, on the other hand, typically have a factory reset feature that wipes everything.
You should also remove your linked accounts to your old device just to be sure.
Step #4: Check which items can be sold, donated, recycled, or destroyed.
After wiping out your data on your devices, you may also consider other disposal methods besides storing them in a box under your bed to be forgotten.
- Sell them – some devices, like smartphones and laptops that still function correctly, may still have some value, so you can sell them online, like on Facebook Marketplace or on gadget stores that will use your broken electronics in their repairs.
- Donate them – if your gadgets are still decent and can still perform their primary functions, why not donate or gift them to a family member, or a struggling student who needs tech.
- Recycle them – many tech companies may buy your old gadgets in exchange for cash or coupons, as they recycle your e-waste to recover some valuable elements, like gold and copper.
- Destroy them – for the small storage items, sometimes, it’s easier to destroy them, like SIM cards containing contact numbers and CDs/DVDs that may contain old but important data (you can shred them).
In today’s world, where data and information are the “new gold,” it’s crucial that we protect ourselves, which includes properly disposing of our tech gadgets. We don’t know how cybercriminals may use data they gather from old tech.