Secure electronic waste disposal is one of those common sense procedures that every person with an electronic device should consider, but is often overlooked. Although this is usually practised by businesses — because they are legally required to dispose of confidential data securely — it could also be beneficial in one’s everyday life, too. After all, confidential information is stored in our own personal devices regularly, and without proper e-waste disposal procedures, there’s every chance that, say, an identity thief could get a hold of sensitive data, even when you think you have deleted them. The safest way to go about securing the disposal of your data is to engage the services of an e-waste management company in Singapore, such as Metalo. However, there are also steps you can take on your own to better protect your personal data.
Backing up Your Information
Before shipping your old devices off to an e-waste management company, or other electronic waste disposal service providers, it goes without saying that you should back up your data first. There are several reasons why one might find it difficult to do so — the data could be too large, or there might not be a connection to the Internet, or you could have backed it up but your storage devices have outlived their shelf lives. To protect yourself against these scenarios, plan ahead and ensure you have several working storage devices at the ready to safely stow your data away.
Erasing Digital Presence
One of the most essential things you can do to protect your data before disposing of your devices is to erase your digital presence from the Internet, and there are several ways to do just that. For instance, with the constant influx of new online shopping and social media platforms and applications, it’s time to review some of the accounts that you no longer use and delete (not deactivate) them permanently. This also applies to old blogs that you might have written something compromising or distasteful thanks to youthful ignorance. Your browsers and smartphones are also capable of storing sensitive data like passwords, so make it a point to delete them if they are no longer in use.
The reason why this step is important is because data that is stored on the Internet can’t be erased through e-waste management, and it’s something that requires your due diligence.
Safe Disposal
Even after you have erased all necessary data, the battle still isn’t won yet, as erased data can be recovered if given the right software and tools. It’s not enough to just erase data; you’ll need to completely destroy it. This is why it’s easier to approach an e-waste management company with the right expertise to do it for you. Here at Metalo International, we have a plethora of data destruction services that guarantees that all information stored in your devices is permanently wiped clean. Devices under our care go through different stages of destruction, from the dismantling of devices, to degaussing, to secure disposal — there are all necessary steps in ensuring that there are no traces of data left on discarded devices.
Visit our website for a more comprehensive catalogue of the electronic waste disposal services that we offer.