Author: Lisa Bream

When your phone gets old, becomes out of date, or starts to break, it’s time to decide whether to sell it or trade it in. You might hit the factory reset button, thinking your information is safe. However, your Android may contain some very private information!

Think about what’s on your phone – social security numbers, saved passwords, tax information, and more. In order to ensure that none of your personal information is compromised, it’s important to recycle your smartphone properly.  Using a certified R2 ITAD company with data destruction services keeps your information safe.

“Reset” Phones Still Contain Sensitive Data

Avast purchased 20 used Android phones from eBay that were reset using the manufacturer’s recommended settings. After using an “off-the-shelf digital forensic file,” it recovered more than 40,000 pieces of personal and sensitive data, including photos, emails, texts, and even the previous user and their contacts. Users believed they had erased all data by using the factory reset option, but their sensitive information was all still available. 

Why Do Reset Phones Still Contain Personal Information?

Your phone has been reset to your manufacturer’s settings. So, how is information still being recovered? Avast discovered that the operating system was removing and deleting information from files and showing it as free, but in reality, it remained on the drive or storage card. 

What Avast found was that the hard reset on the phone was not actually occurring, and user information could be recovered.  

Android Recycling: Good for Protecting Personal Information and the Environment

How you’ll make this decision depends on what you want to do with your device when you replace it. If your device is broken, your best option is to recycle it. An IT Asset Disposition company will recycle your phone and protect your data by totally erasing it. By shredding the SIM card or storage card, you can be certain that your data will be inaccessible.

At Securis, we ensure that all phones and other electronic devices are completely wiped of all data and information before we remarket or recycle the materials. Data erasure is vital prior to upcycling anything. By reselling phones, we help keep electronic equipment out of landfills. 

If that still makes you apprehensive, shredding is an option to provide total physical destruction. By shredding the SIM card and any parts that contain personal information, total destruction is guaranteed. Let us know how we can help you protect your personal information by contacting us here.

Proper disposal for government contractors is vital for federal compliance. Different businesses and data centers may have varying regulations regarding data destruction. Securis has been in the business of data destruction for more than 20 years. 

The Securis degausser is on the NSA-evaluated products list as an appropriate method of destruction. Our degaussers are NSA-approved and mobile so that we can destroy data on-site. Degaussing is the only federally approved method to sanitize classified and top secret level information.

The degausser uses a magnet to change the data that is stored on magnetic storage devices, making it unreadable. This can be used on items like hard drives, DLT tapes, cassettes, and more. The process renders hard drives unusable since it completely wipes the stored data. 

For sensitive data, degaussing is often followed by the physical destruction of your company’s data-containing devices. Going the extra step to shred your equipment guarantees further and complete destruction. A degaussed hard drive looks the same as a perfectly intact hard drive. Shredding the material after degaussing ensures that everything is properly disposed of. 

We also provide a certificate of destruction for auditing purposes. Whether we degauss your equipment on or off-site, we will provide this certificate for your records along with an audit-ready IT equipment inventory list. 

Additional Security Measures to Protect Classified Data 

To protect classified data, all of our employees go through background checks. They’re completed upon hiring and repeated every three years of employment with Securis. We want to ensure that your data is secure every step of the way. 

Securis is compliant with all federal, state, and industry regulations. Click to see our certifications and compliance list.

Securis is committed to protecting the chain of custody. All vehicles have GPS tracking and intrusion protection reinforcement. 

If you need to see your hardware destroyed, no problem. If you need to sign off to have one of our employees witness it and provide the aforementioned certificate of destruction, we can do that. We’re here to help you do what is best for your organization’s needs when it comes to data destruction! 

Learn more here!

 

Technology constantly changes, which may leave you wondering, “Where can I recycle computers?” Electronics recycling is vital when constantly upgrading our phones, TVs, computers, and laptops for the newest model to hit the market. 

Finding somewhere to recycle your computer should be easy, but there’s more to it than that. It’s essential to consider several factors when recycling computers. The most important factors to consider are:

• When you throw away a computer, and it goes to the landfill, you are throwing away not only your personal information but also precious resources. Plastic and metals take hundreds of years to decompose. However, what is even more vital to keep out of landfills are the chemicals that can leach into our soil and enter our water systems. 
• While donating your computer to somewhere like Goodwill* may seem viable, they may not ensure your data is destroyed. If the computer works, the person who purchases it may be able to retrieve your tax information, credit card payments, and other personal information. 
• Before recycling, ensure that the place you choose will destroy your data and that each piece of your computer will be appropriately disposed of. This not only protects you but your carbon footprint as well. 

Here are some places you can check out to see if there is a recycling program near you:

• The R-2 Certified Database
  • R-2-certified companies follow a rigorous set of standards to reuse and recycle responsibly. These are formally evaluated to protect the health of the environment, employees, and communities. It’s important to note that all downstream vendors of your IT recycling company are also R-2 certified. 
• Earth 911
  • Earth 911 has the recycling answer to all unwanted goods, including e-waste. Type in your zip code and what you’re looking to recycle, and you will be provided with what you’re looking for within a radius of your choosing!
• E-Stewards Database
  • Much like the R-2 certified database, E-Stewards is a similar database based on their certification qualifications. Companies that hold this certification ensure data security and brand protection. Additionally, these companies care about human rights and environmental justice. 
• Securis.com
  • See if there is a Securis location that may be able to help you or your business. With four locations, Securis provides electronics and computer recycling across the East Coast. From ensuring that our natural resources are responsibly recycled to helping businesses keep electronic waste out of landfills, we’re here for all your e-waste needs! Not only are we R-2 certified, but we also ensure that all of our downstream vendors are. We want to protect our environment, customers, and employees from steps A to Z. 

Recycling electronics helps provide environmental protection, and using a trusted e-waste recycling company can help keep your personal information safe. Before recycling, a company like Securis will remove all personal data from your devices.

Data breaches occur not only to big corporations but to individuals as well. Our computers contain tax returns, credit card payments, savings account information, and personal information. Be sure to properly dispose of your equipment to protect yourself from this information ending up in the wrong hands. 

*Some Goodwills partner with Dell to eliminate data and/or recycle broken computers appropriately. However, this partnership is not nationwide. 

While the easiest thing to do is toss old batteries into a garbage can, proper battery disposal methods are vital. Batteries can be recycled safely, but it’s essential to do it correctly for safety reasons. Recycling batteries isn’t easy, especially since each type needs to be disposed of differently.

LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES

Lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion batteries) are standard in laptops, cell phones, and electric cars. They come in two forms: soft and dry. The increased usage of these batteries in our everyday lives has led to increased fires due to improper disposal of them.

Because they contain hazardous waste, it’s crucial to find a company that can recycle them properly. 

There are two main recycling options for these batteries: pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. 

• Pyrometallurgy separates the mixed metal alloy of cobalt, copper, iron, and nickel. 
• Hydrometallurgy recovers metals and ores from lithium-ion batteries. 

LEAD ACID BATTERIES

Lead acid batteries can be recycled and can contain value. Some materials, like impure lead, can be returned to battery manufacturers and recycled into new batteries. Sulfuric acid can be turned into water. Eighty percent of the materials are turned into new batteries.

Putting these into the garbage would allow the lead and sulfuric acid in them to leach into our soil, water, and other valuable natural resources.

SINGLE-USE ALKALINE BATTERIES (AA, AAA, C, and D)

Christmas morning can be disappointing if you don’t have single-use batteries on hand for your kid’s newest toys. However, these batteries have corrosive chemicals that shouldn’t be dumped into landfills leaking into our soil. AA, AAA, C, and D alkaline batteries are household hazardous waste. 

To properly recycle them, they should be placed into a rotary kiln to recover any zinc oxide in them. This can be reused in various plastics and ceramics. 

BUTTON CELL BATTERIES

Button cell batteries contain mercury and therefore need to be disposed of properly. From hearing aids to watches and other small electronics, button batteries are pretty standard in our households. 

Ingredients like mercury can be found in batteries, which is why it is important to recycle them. When we recycle, we prevent more mercury from being mined. 

Securis Can Help!

If your business is unsure how to properly dispose of batteries inside your laptops and other devices, we can help! 

If you live in the DC metro area, we host monthly recycling events at our Chantilly, VA warehouse, where you can drop off your old electronics*. 

*There may be a fee for proper battery disposal

On Thursday, November 10, 2022, Securis attended the 21st annual High Tech Prayer Breakfast. It’s a unique event that provides inspiration, connection, and great food to the Northern Virginia technology community. While food feeds our bodies, inspiration and global connection fill our souls in the data center, electronics recycling, hard drive destruction, and business communities.

Securis encourages all interested employees to attend the High Tech Prayer Breakfast, regardless of religion, transportation needs, and work schedules. Securis offers solutions to each challenge. Regarding transportation, don’t worry about parking in the crazy grid of Tyson’s Corner. Securis brings a bus to the headquarters in Chantilly, VA.

Securis hosted eight tables for the event, filled with our employees, vendors, and other industry partners. We enjoyed hearing the testimonies of Shira Lotzar and Carl Grant over breakfast.

When disposing of your equipment, tossing hard drives without properly removing the information they contain can cost you money. Your business needs to ensure that all of your data is appropriately disposed of and that you aren’t putting you or your customer’s information at risk. By degaussing and then shredding your hard drives with an IT asset disposition (ITAD) company, you can protect your data and save your organization money. 

These steps use a variety of destruction methods to help keep your data safe from an expensive and embarrassing data breach. 

Step One: An Audited Equipment Collection

The first step to avoiding a data breach in your end-of-life equipment is to ensure that the company you hire to collect said equipment can provide you with an auditable and trackable IT inventory list. 

For example, at Securis, we tag every item we collect with an internal bar code and strip off all identifying information on the outside of your equipment. This also helps protect the chain of custody. By having a record of what’s been collected, it’s clear what has been handed over to your ITAD company. 

Step Two: Degaussing Hard Drives

After taking inventory of everything, it’s time to destroy the data. Before jumping to the shredder, you may want to consider degaussing your hard drives first. The degaussing process destroys information by changing the magnetic domain of the hard drive. 

While solid state drives (SSDs) aren’t able to be degaussed, we have microshredding data destruction and recycling services available for them. 

Step Three: Shred Hard Drives

After degaussing your larger magnetic hard drives, it’s time to throw them into our traditional shredder. While a degausser renders all data unusable, the degaussed hard drives still look the same as a perfectly functioning hard drive. 

 

Why is that a problem? If you put the two hard drives side by side, you may get them confused and accidentally recycle one that still has your information on it. By shredding, you ensure that you’re disposing of the proper equipment. Hard drive shredding will render all data unusable. 

Shredding services destroy SSDs and other smaller pieces of equipment. However, these cannot go into a regular shredder as they can slip through the cracks. For SSDs and other small data-containing devices, we use our microshredder. 

Step Four: Use a Certified ITAD Company to Recycle

By trusting environmentally responsible ITAD companies to recycle your unwanted and destroyed electronic equipment, you keep metals, plastics, and other perfectly usable materials out of our landfills! By choosing an R-2 certified company to dispose of your end-of-life equipment properly, you may protect yourself from lawsuits and data breaches. 

Securis can provide you with a certificate of destruction. This is beneficial for auditing purposes and peace of mind. With our services, you know that your hard drives and other equipment are being properly recycled with the circular economy at the forefront of our minds. 

Why?

Morgan Stanley is paying a $35 million fine to settle claims because they failed to protect the personal information of 15 million people. From 2015 to 2020, they improperly disposed of their hard drives. By selling these online without properly removing customer information, anyone who bought them had access to this information. 

Rather than using a company like Securis that has decades of experience disposing of information, Morgan Stanley used a moving and storage company that had no ITAD experience. The company they entrusted to protect their customer’s information sold thousands of the devices that they collected. 

Data security is vital to your customers in this day and age. Finding an ITAD company that you can trust with data destruction is vital. When you fail to protect your customers’ personal information, you can cost your company millions of dollars. 

Have you tried to reduce costs when it’s time to get rid of old IT equipment? Morgan Stanley learned the hard way that if you don’t properly dispose of electronic devices,  it will be costly for your company. 

The global financial services firm Morgan Stanley trusted a standard moving company to dispose of end-of-life IT equipment. It has been reported that this company had no experience in IT asset disposition (ITAD). The unnamed moving company sold hard drives and other equipment online, exposing Morgan Stanley’s client’s data. 

Most of us assume that when purchasing a second-hand hard drive, it’s been fully wiped of all previous data. However, if this equipment gets to the wrong people, it can be detrimental to your organization. By selling these non-degaussed or shredded hard drives, Morgan Stanley left their clients vulnerable to data leaks. 

Morgan Stanley failed to destroy their customer data correctly, and that oversight has cost them millions of dollars. 

How does a hard drive that’s been wiped still have data? 

Morgan Stanley was exposed by an IT consultant who purchased some of the hard drives. He wrote to Morgan Stanley stating they could get “some kind of verification of data destruction.” As a financial institution, Morgan Stanley has stringent guidelines that they need to follow regarding data destruction. 

Although the information isn’t easily accessible on wiped drives, someone with experience can recover critical data. 

Finding “Hidden” Information

A Comparitech study found that 3 in 5 second-hand hard drives still contained data from the previous owner. 26% of the hard drives had been formatted, but it didn’t take much effort for the data to be recovered. 

An organization that does not use professional data destruction services may miss out on opportunities to fully destroy sensitive data. By degaussing and hard drive shredding, you can ensure that all data is physically destroyed. 

Preventing Data Leaks

When it comes time for your company to get rid of old hard drives, computers, and various IT equipment, you need to find an agency that complies with all laws and regulations that your business needs to follow regarding personal data. 

Physical destruction is often vital regarding compliance in terms of financial, health, and other strictly regulated organizations. 

Securis complies with the following rules and regulations:

• NIST 800-88 standards
• NISPOM 32 CRF Part 117 (which has replaced DoD 5220.22-M) data sanitization
• HIPAA/HITECH
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
• FACTA Disposal Rule
• Bank Secrecy Act
• Patriot Act of 2002
• Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act
• US Safe Harbor Provisions
• FDA Security Regulations
• PCI Data Security Standard 
• Various local, state, and federal regulations.

Failure to comply with regulations can lead to an embarrassing news story and cost your organization millions in settlement fees alone. Contact us to learn how we can help you stay compliant. 

At Securis, we process, disassemble, and recycle as much e-waste as we can in-house. Recycling your computer with us ensures that nothing ends up in a landfill. Some recycled computer materials are processed by our downstream vendors. Each has been vetted and chosen for their certified expertise in handling specific hazardous materials. As a zero-landfill company, our e-waste recycling partners must be R2-certified. 

End-of-Life Computer Materials That Can Be Reused

Most of the materials we send out can be reused or repurposed. There are obvious valuable materials like gold, copper, and silver that can be reused in new computer parts and turned into jewelry. The less obvious materials, like old CRT glass, can be reused as ceramic tiles and tile glaze. 

CRT Glass

CRT glass does contain lead, making the glass highly fusible. Because it is so fusible, it reduces the energy needed to create new products like ceramic tiles and tile glaze.

 

Copper

8.7 tonnes of copper is recycled from end-of-life electronic products every year. It’s one material that can be reused repeatedly without losing its ability to perform. Additionally, reusing copper lessens CO2 admissions. Copper can be recycled into jewelry, wires, or even used for the same material it was used for previously. 

Shredded Software and Toner Cartridges

One of our vendors, Covanta, uses materials like shredded software and toner cartridges to provide power to more than one million homes. This helps keep methane out of landfills which reduces emissions from fossil fuel electrical production. Your recycled toner cartridges might be powering your house!

Sulfuric Acid

Sulfuric acid found in batteries can be turned into water by adding baking soda. Once it has been cleaned and meets clean water standards, it’s released into the sewer system. It can also be turned into sodium sulfate used in laundry detergent, glass, and textiles. 

Mercury

Mercury is often found in tubes in TVs and computer monitors. Ninety-nine percent of mercury can be recycled. Once extracted from items like mercury tubes, it can be reused in new products. This not only helps limit the amount of mercury in our environment but reduces the need for new mercury to be mined and used. 

The other one percent must be disposed of properly to protect our ecosystem. The EPA has established RCRA Subtitle C landfills. This is the best way to keep mercury out of our water systems. These landfills have been specifically created to ensure that substances like mercury aren’t entering our environment. 

Securis Can Help!

At Securis, we ensure our downstream vendors are R-2 certified and keep all materials out of landfills. We want to ensure that our environment is free of harmful elements. Contact us if you are interested in learning more about how we can help you! 

• In one month, we sell about 6,000 desktops If stacked on top of one another, they’d reach the top of the Empire State Building. In one quarter, we sell the equivalent of two Washington Monuments in height of laptops! That’s about 13,320 laptops.
• Last year, we sold enough monitors to stretch three miles!
• In one week, our processing team went through and disassembled 174,000 pounds of equipment. That is the maximum weight of a full Boeing 747!
• Recently, we recycled 80,000 pounds of plastic. Keeping materials out of landfills is our priority! This happens to be the equivalent of a fully loaded 18-wheeler!