Danish consumer council highlights importance of erasing personal data before recycling old electronics

More than half of all mobile phones, 40 percent of tablets, and 15 percent of desktop computers are left unused in drawers and cupboards, according to recent figures from Statistics Denmark. This old electronics could be beneficial as they contain many rare metals, including precious metals like silver and gold, used in mobile phone production.

However, personal photos, videos, and other sensitive data stored on these devices can pose a risk if not properly erased. Ida Daarbak Reislev, a lawyer at the Danish Consumer Council, emphasizes the importance of deleting such personal information, as it could grant access to one’s entire private life.

Reislev recommends the following steps to prepare your mobile, tablet, or computer for recycling:

1. **Backup Data Before Deletion**: Before erasing content, ensure you save important data, such as photos and documents. This can be done using a cloud service, where some phones come pre-configured for cloud storage, allowing users to upload content and transfer it to a new device. Alternatively, you can save data on an external hard drive or USB stick.

2. **Reset Your Device**: To delete data from a mobile phone or tablet, restore it to factory settings. This process erases apps, photos, music, and other content from memory. Users can find the factory reset option in the settings menu. It’s crucial to remove any external memory cards or SIM cards, as they may not be automatically erased.

3. **Overwrite Your Hard Drive**: Simply deleting files on a computer moves them to the recycle bin, which does not permanently erase the data. Instead, users should overwrite the hard drive with a data-wiping program, many of which are available for free online.

4. **Physical Destruction if Necessary**: If a device can’t be powered on, Reislev suggests physically damaging it, such as striking it with a hammer. For computers, removing screws and breaking the hard drive can ensure data is unrecoverable.

Additionally, be mindful of other electronic devices in your life that may store personal data and ensure they are reset before disposal.