Used Computers with Sensitive Personal Data. Guide to How You get GDPR ready.
Used computers are containing sensitive personal data. There are, in particular, three good reasons why your company should not keep old computers.
First of all, a used computer can be worth several hundred EUR/GBP – depending on model, age and appearance. So why let it stay around gathering dust and losing more and more of its value over time?
Secondly, discarded computers often contain sensitive personal data, in which case you must take really good care of the equipment if you are to avoid violating the future General Data Protection Regulation, which takes effect on 25 May 2018. It applies to both computers that have just been put out of service and computers that have perhaps being lying around, gathering dust, for years.
As a company, you are obliged to store sensitive personal date securely – also on discarded computers – as well as to have a documented process for ensuring that data cannot fall into the wrong hands.
It is not enough to delete data by formatting the hard drive or smashing it physically, e.g. with a hammer. A large part of the hard drive can often be restored with the right tools.
And why waste time deleting hard drives at all when you can sell the used computer to a specialized company such as Tier1Asset? We are using the best tool in the world to delete all data and can present documentation that the deletion is properly conducted so as to ensure that you comply with the General Data Protection Regulation.
A third advantage of selling your scrapped computers is that they can often be reused. This makes it possible to save all the resources it costs to manufacture new computers, thereby protecting the environment. The production of just a single computer requires 1.7 tonnes of raw materials and water, which is a lot to spare for the sake of the environment.
Upcycling and Recycling of Used Computers.
Before the computers are reused, they are first cleaned of content and upgraded at Tier1Asset. A reused computer will often be as good as a new one, will perhaps have a new keyboard, hard drive, screen or battery fitted and will perhaps also have an operating system installed with a valid license in the very same way as a product that comes fresh from the factory.
In individual cases, it is only individual parts of the computer that can be reused, and these are then normally used as spare parts.
At Tier1Asset, we sell reused equipment to dealers worldwide. It is, in particular, schools and the public sector as well as small enterprises and physical persons who buy reused units. One of the advantages of buying second-hand is the savings or possibility to get more quality for less money.
Tier1 Asset is a Circular Economy company that cooperates with the Swedish company Stena Recycling on recycling the remaining 10% e-waste from our Computer Refurbishing Process.
Get more info about the GDPR regulation.
Read more about our data erasure services
Please do not hesitate to contact us about how we can help you get GDPR ready with your old and discarded IT equipment.