Digital Copier Hard Drive Data Leaks

60% of Americans do not know that digital copiers have hard drives which retain an image of every copy made using the copier. We’re Canadian, but it isn’t a stretch to consider many of us fail to consider the ramifications of our digital copiers hard drive when selling or disposing of an old digital copier.

Used copiers are sold across the U.S. and Canada, as well as to unknown overseas buyers in Singapore, Argentina and elsewhere, holding easy to download images of all scanned or copied documents.  This video shows used copiers from insurance companies, police stations and other businesses being made available for sale for a few hundred dollars.  Sadly, the video shows that for a few hundred dollars, anyone can buy a hard drive with every single image you scanned stored on it.

In this video, personal information, pay information, social insurance numbers, medical and criminal records were easily recovered.   Obviously, these companies failed to follow PIPEDA or privacy guidelines for disposing of personal information.  What a jackpot for identify theft artists.  What a potential law suit for the companies or the police station who failed to delete the hard drives before disposing of the copiers.

• Do you photocopy pay stubs?
• Medical charts?
• Legal case files?
• Any sensitive information?

If you are using a digital copier to make your copies, be sure to spend the $200-$300 to have the hard drive “scrubbed ( properly deleted) before selling or disposing of your used or unwanted digital copier.  If you need to have your hard drive properly scrubbed, please call Tucu.  This is a service we offer.

For Computer Help, Call Tucu: 416-292-3300 | 905-233-4858