[Tech] Gadget Recycling article

Grant Bowman grantbow at partimus.org
Tue Apr 8 09:23:32 PDT 2014


Saw this today online. Cheers, -- Grant


FYI:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/five-things-you-must-do-before-ditching-old-gadgets-81928259037.html

1. back it up
2. wipe it down
3. If you can't wipe it down, destroy it
4. recycle the right way
5. keep records

Five Things You Must Do Before You Ditch Your Old Gadgets
[image: Dan Tynan] <https://www.yahoo.com/tech/author/dan-tynan>

Dan Tynan <https://www.yahoo.com/tech/author/dan-tynan>

Tech Columnist

Apr 7, 2014

Getting rid of your old electronics? Whether you're donating, selling, or
recycling your aging gear, you'll want to take the following steps to make
sure your data stays safe and your gear goes where it's supposed to. And,
no, these steps are not optional.

[image: Five Things You Must Do Before You Ditch Your Old Gadgets]

*(ThinkStock <http://www.thinkstockphotos.com/>)*


*1. Back that thang up!*The first thing to do before you part with any
piece of electronics is to make sure you have copies of the data that was
on it -- especially information that's difficult or impossible to replace,
like photos, videos, and contacts. If you don't use an automated PC backup
service like Backblaze <http://www.backblaze.com/> or
Carbonite<http://www.carbonite.com/>,
you'll want to copy files manually (preferably to an external storage
device like a thumb drive or a DVD). If you have an Android or iOS device,
make sure you've activated Google Auto
Backup<https://support.google.com/plus/answer/1647509?hl=en>
 or Apple's iCloud <http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/> service; you also
want to go into your data vault and make sure that the files you need are
really there.


*2. Wipe it down.*Do not assume that whoever gets your old gear will remove
your data from it; be safe and do the job yourself. Otherwise you could
leave yourself wide open to identity theft. And don't think for one minute
that deleting your Documents folder or even reformatting your hard drive is
enough. McAfee security expert Robert
Siciliano<https://blogs.mcafee.com/author/robert-siciliano> recently
bought 30 used computers via Craigslist and went through their hard drives
with a forensics expert. Half of the machines that had been reformatted
still contained personal data from their previous owners.

InterConnection.org uses Active KillDisk<http://www.killdisk.com/eraser.htm> to
wipe Windows PCs, which comes in a freeware version. Mac owners can use the
OS X Disk Utility or White Canyon Software's
WipeDrive.<http://www.whitecanyon.com/ConsumerWipeDrive> A
factory reset should be enough to secure most recent smartphones, provided
that you remove any SIM cards that could contain personal info, Siciliano
says. But to be ultra safe, use Blancco
Mobile<http://www.blancco.com/us/products/total-data-erasure/mobile/>
to
wipe Android and iOS phones.


*3. If you can't wipe it, destroy it.*If you're not planning to donate or
resell your electronics, it's better to simply destroy any part of them
that contained your data, Siciliano says. For example, I recently recycled
a laptop that was missing its power supply, so there was no way to turn it
on and wipe the disc. Instead I removed the hard drive with a screwdriver,
ran over the drive with my car, and then took a sledgehammer to it. (Aside
from protecting my personal data, it was also a lot of fun.)

[image: image]


*4. Recycle the right way.*Even if you donate or resell your old gear, some
or all of it may end up being recycled -- and not all recyclers are created
equal. You want to make sure that your e-waste isn't ending up in a
landfill or dumped in some Third World
country<http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/dec/14/toxic-ewaste-illegal-dumping-developing-countries>.
The best way to do that is to ask who does the company's downstream
recycling, and make sure it's part of either the
e-Stewards<http://www.e-stewards.org/>
 or R2 (Responsible
Recycling)<http://www.r2solutions.org/certified/electronic-recyclers-with-r2-certified-facilities/>
certification
programs, which ensure that all materials are handled in an environmentally
responsible way.


*5. Keep records.*If you donate equipment to a school or a nonprofit,
you'll want to let the IRS know so you can get a little something back on
your taxes. Document your donation with a receipt, and make sure it falls
withinUncle Sam's guidelines
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/170> for
charitable giving.

*Questions, complaints, kudos? Email Dan Tynan at**ModFamily1 at yahoo.com
<https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=ModFamily1@yahoo.com>*
*. *
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