Holiday season is around the corner; when the sale and gifting of electronic gadgets go up. People give phones and smart devices to family members and friends. This implies that the pile of discarded electronic devices goes up. People must consider recycling or gifting their old devices in order to enable sustainable resources. However, in all this, the point of concern is data security. Ineffective ways to recycle e-waste give way to data breaches. Cybersecurity is a concern these days.
Personal information in e-waste units and data security
Many times, it has been found that hard disk drives, smart devices, and solid-state drives contain residual data that is enough for cyber thieves to steal data. The sale of discarded electronics without the proper deletion of data creates a major risk for the consumers as well as the authorized recyclers. The residual data can be present in the form of several call logs, leftover emails, texts, videos, and pictures. Experts believe that such data is easily retrievable by people who know the trade.
Some e-waste management companies unsuccessfully try to delete data from electronic devices. The most common reason behind this could be the use of unreliable methods for data deletion. The ineffective methods of data removal leave personal information completely exposed, which may be accessible to potential cybercriminals. All common means of data removal are ineffective. Businesses must be concerned about data security as their intellectual property can get stolen or misused.
Manually erasing data or signing out of the devices doesn’t mean the data is deleted forever and cannot be retrieved. People who give their phones for reuse or recycling must be made aware of this fact. The data can easily be recovered by cybercriminals and hackers. Consumers must know, in fact, it is difficult to delete data from devices.
Namo E-waste’s Safe Collection and Data Destruction Process
Namo E-waste, an e-waste management company in India, which is also known to be an innovator with respect to e-waste disposal, provides a leading solution with 100% transparency pertaining to 100% e-waste data security while conducting electronic recycling or mobile recycling. The company not only takes up initiatives to make people aware of the right methods for e-waste disposal but also encourages them to avoid e-waste from piling up, recycling, and conserving natural resources.
Electronic products that majorly contain data are computers, printers, smartphones, servers, and laptops. Digitalization has made the world stay connected and has also made people’s lives convenient, but they must be careful with respect to the threats that digital personal data is prone to. Laws concerning data security describe the way to secure personal data on active software and methods to delete the information when the consumer no longer uses the tools. However, due to a lack of awareness people end up making mistakes.
Electronics get stolen during transport the most. This includes even the e-waste because of the stored data. Namo E-waste’s unique steps regarding the e-waste recycling chain make e-waste disposal secure and safe for consumers.
Safe Collection
∙ Instead of using open collection containers for recycling Namo E-waste uses covered boxes,
∙ The boxes are locked during transportation and the entire process.
∙ Apart from the recipient and the sender, no one else knows the passcode of the containers to avert the loss of devices.
∙ The security is reinforced during logistics, by scanning the recycling units before sending.
∙ The scanning begins at the receiving warehouse right when the box is opened.
Unique Tracking
∙ The scanned data is mapped to the shipment ID which is unique to track the recycling units during logistics.
∙ All scans are documented in a database.
∙ For clear identification, transport documents are mapped to the shipment ID stored in the database.
∙ A digital platform enables paperless and safe documentation!
Secured Receiving
∙ At the receiving end, certified partners unlock the security boxes.
∙ Each unit is scanned with a barcode and flagged as ‘received.
∙ The sharing of real-time tracking details about each unit confirms the arrival of units at the recycling facility.
∙ Efforts are made to minimize additional hubs to avert the loss of the recycling units during transport.
∙ A smart scanning module is employed to improve the whole process for its efficiency
Impeccable Data security
∙ Data security and e-waste management go hand-in-gloves.
∙ Devices are managed by trained staff for complete data destruction.
∙ Namo E-waste offers the secure destruction of sensitive data.
∙ They issue certificates of data sanitization and certificates of data destruction if requested
∙ Different methods of IT equipment having data storage functionalities are employed.
∙ The recycling units are completely dismantled and recycling of secondary raw materials is conducted.
Points to remember
∙ As per the e-waste hierarchy, recycling devices must be sorted for their re-usable value before scrapping them.
∙ The possibilities of reusing must be made aware to the e-waste sender during concept creation.
∙ Recycling and reusing are the best ways to show your concern for the earth’s resources.
∙ If you choose to send the item for re-use ensure that your recycling partner deletes all the sensitive data from the devices before re-using them.
∙ You must review the security standards employed and maintained by the authorized recycler you choose.
∙ Ensure that standard processes are implemented in the recycling operations.
∙ Never compromise with respect to your electronic recycling processes in terms of security as well as environmental aspects.
∙ As long as you are alert, you can ensure both; the safety of your personal information as well as keeping the environment safe.
