Leader: Put down the six-inch nails

The media this week has been full of reports about the danger of identity theft and litigation resulting from the discarding of old PCs.

Very credible research from the University of Glamorgan revealed that the majority of PCs discarded currently contain a great deal of sensitive data – a worthwhile point – but all the media wanted to talk about was the advice that destroying the hard drive is the only solution.

This isn't true – and nor was it the message Glamorgan University wanted to put across. The University simply wanted to raise the very serious issue of companies falling into traps marked 'Data Protection Act' by simply skipping their PCs.

Granted a six-inch nail driven through the heart of your hard drive will most likely render it useless to data thieves but it goes against a lot of common sense and ethical thinking.

Dr Andrew Blyth from the University of Glamorgan computer science department, who originally made the comment about six-inch nails and hammers, told silicon.com: "It's true that the only way companies can be sure the data has been destroyed is to destroy the disk."

However, he added that he would certainly encourage companies to consider recycling schemes and charities who recondition PCs. Computer Aid International, for instance, will wipe data to government-approved standards and Blyth urged companies to consider such services.

"I have no doubt there are companies and organisations out there who will remove this data. The focus of the research was simply to prove the extent of the problem currently," said Blyth.

The nail remark was intended more as an example of how companies need to be proactive in ensuring their data is destroyed.

But a better solution is to contact an organisation such as Computer Aid, ask them about their data-wiping standards and find out how you can still proactively ensure the data is removed, without denying a school or hospital in the third world the chance to revolutionise their lives with computers.

Computer Aid told silicon.com they would let companies wipe data in-house and put them in touch with their government-approved third party. The organisation also said it would provide control units – one which it claimed to have wiped – to undergo the most thorough of independent tests, in order for companies to ensure they are compliant with the DPA.

So put down the hammer, put down the nails and visit Computer Aid's website.