{"id":18850,"date":"2018-01-18T12:35:58","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T17:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quantumlifecycle.com\/staging\/think-computers-cell-phones-contain-sensitive-data-better-think\/"},"modified":"2023-09-06T16:18:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T20:18:41","slug":"think-computers-cell-phones-contain-sensitive-data-better-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quantumlifecycle.com\/en_CA\/blog\/think-computers-cell-phones-contain-sensitive-data-better-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Think Only Computers and Cell Phones Contain Sensitive Data? Better Think Again."},"content":{"rendered":"

The Environmental Handling Fee (EHF) you\u2019re charged every time your business buys a new printer or computer entitles you to no-charge recycling<\/a> of your end-of-life<\/a> electronics. But the EHF is not<\/i> a guarantee of privacy. And when it comes to disposing of its electronic items, your company shares the liability \u2013 and the obligation – to protect data from falling into the wrong hands.<\/p>\n

Know Before It Goes<\/h2>\n

The Ontario Electronic Stewardship<\/b><\/i> uses EHF fees<\/a> to help government-approved electronics recyclers<\/a> process your unwanted office items safely, and in accordance with environmental standards. Their role includes ensuring that certified recyclers<\/a> take steps to protect electronic product data from unauthorized access or theft.<\/p>\n

Your best option when recycling office electronics is to use the services of an R2 certified company, since they\u2019re obligated to ensure your data is secure. But if your business chooses to risk working with a non-certified <\/i>recycler \u2013 it\u2019s up to you<\/i> to erase sensitive information from device memories before offering them up for recycling.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest mistakes organizations make when disposing of end-of-life electronics is neglecting to address the sensitive data stored within them:<\/p>\n