Citing expert commentary from last week’s MIT Technology Review (“EmTech Digital”), John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s leading recycler of electronic waste, is urging businesses, government agencies and individuals to consider digital security a top priority.
The MIT Technology Review consortium, which also included guest contributions from the California Institute of Technology, Mozilla and Akamai, reached a consensus that recent changes in technology have brought society to an inflection point for digital security and privacy.
“Online and digital privacy and security are not new worries for companies, governments and consumers, but they have been brought to a point of urgency by recent regulatory and technology changes,” reported the MIT Technology Review summary of the event.
“The MIT Technology Review on digital security should be commended for bringing this critical issue to the forefront,” said Shegerian. “In this age of frequent cybercrime, identity theft and hardware hacking, it’s time for government agencies, businesses and individuals to all make securing digital data a top priority.”
“One of the most overlooked precautions that needs to be taken,” added Shegerian, “is the proper protection of data on devices that are being discarded. Be it a government official’s laptop, a family smartphone or a business tablet, technology today is far too vulnerable to criminal attacks. Properly recycling all old and unwanted items – no matter who you are – is vitally important. Our personal privacy, business’ proprietary information and even data pertinent to our national security are at stake. The key is for everyone to remember to safely recycle all old and unwanted items at the end of their lifecycles with a trusted recycling company. This final step in the life of an electronic device is more important than ever.
Shegerian also noted that ERI currently provides the only nationwide solution offering 100 percent guaranteed data destruction for consumer electronics devices and e-waste.
