A recent study by HostingAdvice surveying 3,000 Americans revealed that 14% store intimate content on their devices, while 26% neglect to wipe data before submitting them for e-waste. We are doing everything virtually nowadays, and only a few of us secure our data so it doesn't get used for harmful purposes. When people dispose of their old mobiles phones and devices, most of them do not clear all the files and data from them before reselling them or submitting them for e-waste. Only 17.5% of the people recycle their e-waste which means that every year the intimate stuff on 1,640,419 gets recycled every year.
The study also found out how different people think of recycling their devices in different regions and it was revealed that people in Minnesota were the least concerned about their data and what things they recycle (46%). Followed by Minnesota were people from Alabama (43%), Arkansas (43%) and Oregan (39%) who were the least concerned about their data and did not wipe it out before recycling their devices. On the other hand, people from South Dakota are very strict when it comes to wiping off their devices before disposing of them. Only 8% of people from South Dakota do not clear their files first before recycling electronic devices, followed by 10% people from Delaware and 13% people from Mississippi.
The study also asked respondents why they do not clear their data and files from their devices before recycling them. 37% of the respondents said that they forget to do it, followed by 22% who think recycling centers would do it on their own and 21% who said that they didn't know they should clear their data before recycling their devices. All in all, 52% of the respondents said that they regret that they didn't clear off the data on their devices before recycling them.
According to the survey, the most sensitive data that respondents didn't delete before recycling their devices was logins and passwords (39%), personal ID information (22%), intimate content (21%) and financial information (18%). 79% of the respondents said that they do not care if someone finds their intimate content but they would be concerned about someone finding their financial account details.
18% of the respondents said that they would like to pay for a secure data wiping service before giving up their device, with 59% admitting that they thought that if someone finds their personal information on a device they recycled, they are legally required to delete that information. 54% of the respondents said that if they find someone else’s data on their device, they delete it and recycle it properly. If you want to delete your data properly before recycling your device, it is important that you backup your data first and then delete the data on the device you are getting rid of. Make sure to remove all the memory cards in the device and use build-in formatting tools in devices to completely wipe out the data so it is undiscoverable.
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The study also found out how different people think of recycling their devices in different regions and it was revealed that people in Minnesota were the least concerned about their data and what things they recycle (46%). Followed by Minnesota were people from Alabama (43%), Arkansas (43%) and Oregan (39%) who were the least concerned about their data and did not wipe it out before recycling their devices. On the other hand, people from South Dakota are very strict when it comes to wiping off their devices before disposing of them. Only 8% of people from South Dakota do not clear their files first before recycling electronic devices, followed by 10% people from Delaware and 13% people from Mississippi.
The study also asked respondents why they do not clear their data and files from their devices before recycling them. 37% of the respondents said that they forget to do it, followed by 22% who think recycling centers would do it on their own and 21% who said that they didn't know they should clear their data before recycling their devices. All in all, 52% of the respondents said that they regret that they didn't clear off the data on their devices before recycling them.
According to the survey, the most sensitive data that respondents didn't delete before recycling their devices was logins and passwords (39%), personal ID information (22%), intimate content (21%) and financial information (18%). 79% of the respondents said that they do not care if someone finds their intimate content but they would be concerned about someone finding their financial account details.
18% of the respondents said that they would like to pay for a secure data wiping service before giving up their device, with 59% admitting that they thought that if someone finds their personal information on a device they recycled, they are legally required to delete that information. 54% of the respondents said that if they find someone else’s data on their device, they delete it and recycle it properly. If you want to delete your data properly before recycling your device, it is important that you backup your data first and then delete the data on the device you are getting rid of. Make sure to remove all the memory cards in the device and use build-in formatting tools in devices to completely wipe out the data so it is undiscoverable.
Read next:
• Mobile Addiction Soars, Americans Check Phones 205 Times Daily, Survey Reveals
• US Consumer Media Spending Report 2024: This is How Much the Average American Spends on Internet, TV, and Mobile
