Identity Management Day -  Your Old Electronics.

Identity Management Day. #beidentitysmart! Safeguard Data on Your Old Electronics.

Study Found 40% of Used Devices Contain Personally Identifiable Information

published
April 13, 2021
News

While auction, resale, and recycling sites have created a convenient way to reuse or extend the life an electronic- devices, there is also valuable data that the people are unintentionally leaving behind.  

NAID, the National Association for Information Destruction, conducted the largest second-hand device study revealing that 40% of devices resold in regular commerce channels contained personally identifiable information.  And this was without taking any heroic efforts to acquire the data, just commercially available software tools you can get off the internet. The study included hard drives, smartphones and tablets.   

The personally identifiable information recovered included 

  • credit card information, 
  • contact information, 
  • usernames and passwords, 
  • company and personal data, 
  • tax details, and more. 

While mobile phones had less recoverable personal information at 13%, tablets were disturbingly found with the highest amount at 50%, and hard drives came in a close second with 44%.

The secure handling of the data on your end-of-life electronics is just as critical as your online data.  It requires the same level of discipline and safeguarding.  You want to ensure your electronics recycler is complying with the highest level of data destruction, NIST 800-88, and that they provide you a certificate of data destruction.

Click here to read the full NAID report.

More News

News

4THBIN 4GOOD - Museum of the Moving Image

We are excited to announce our sponsorship with the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) for the exhibition of “Refreshing the Loop,” an Animated GIF Installation Series! Refreshing the Loop, which brings together artists well-known for their GIFs and artists who gained popularity in the industry throughout recent years, will be on display from April 20, 2023 - January 14, 2024.

News

Back 2 School 2023

Start the new school year off right with 4THBIN! As more schools and universities reduce the number of books students need and opt for more computers and tablets, educational institutions are quickly becoming leading e-waste producers. The back-to-school season is the perfect time to embrace sustainable practices that not only benefit the environment but also inspire positive changes in classrooms that provide new opportunities for learning. 4THBIN is here to help you have the most sustainable back-to-school season yet!

News

Take Part in a Sustainable Summer with 4THBIN!

Summer is here, and with it comes warmer days, fun nights, and more opportunities to implement sustainable practices! We can’t think of a better way to kick off the summer than ensuring all of our seasonal activities are not only enjoyable for us, but our planet as well! Join 4THBIN in taking part in a sustainable summer!

News

4THBIN 4GOOD: Ars Memoriae

4THBIN is honored to announce that we have provided 601Artspace with e-waste for the exhibition of Ars Memoriae. 4THBIN supplied cables, circuit boards, computers, phones, and other obsolete electronic assets to help the artists assemble their projects. The equipment making up the pieces would have otherwise ended up in landfills or incinerators if not for 4THBIN’s efforts to recycle them properly first.

News

Earth Day at Industry City 2023 - Recap

4THBIN would like to thank all members of the Industry City community who took part in our Earth Day e-waste recycling event! Our 2023 Earth Day event with Industry City allowed us to help the community securely recycle 2,822 pounds of e-waste - the weight of two adult male polar bears!

Event

4THBIN-BGA-Event E-Waste Recycling Spring 2023
May 24, 2023
Drop-off Event

4THBIN and Broadway Green Alliance Team Up for a Spring 2023 E-Waste Drive

We are excited to announce our collaboration with environmental innovators, Broadway Green Alliance (BGA), for a Spring E-Waste Drive. We aim to provide members of the Broadway community and beyond with the opportunity to securely and sustainably recycle their old electronics. 

4THBIN-PS 29 Rummage Sale Spring 2023-Neighborhood Recycling Event
April 30, 2023
Drop-off Event

PS 29 Rummage Sale Spring 2023 - Neighborhood Recycling Event

We are excited to announce our latest collaboration with PS 29 for a Spring 2023 electronic recycling event! 

EARTH DAY AT IC: 2023
April 19, 2023
Drop-off Event

EARTH DAY AT IC: 2023

We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Industry City for an Earth Day eRecycling Event! Through this event, we hope to raise awareness of the growing problem of electronic waste and its harmful environmental effects, as well as encourage sustainable practices.