A collective of tech companies called the Circular Drive Initiative (CDI) is fighting against the practice of shredding old hard drives. The CDI is dedicated to reusing old hard drives and minimizing electronic waste. However, despite hard drives being predicted to become obsolete after 2028, 90% of all retired datacenter hard disk drives (HDDs) are still being shredded every year.
The Problem with Shredding Hard Drives
The CDI is concerned about the unfounded belief that shredding old hard drives protects the data left on them from being recovered and stolen. In reality, shredding hard drives doesn’t ensure the security of the data. Moreover, shredding old hard drives creates another problem: e-waste.
IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) firms are responsible for shredding millions of hard drives every year. One ITAD provider even admitted to shredding five million drives for a single customer. The CDI’s secretary and treasurer, Jonmichael Hands, spoke to ITAD firms about reusing old datacenter drives, but he was waved off with an apology.
The Solution: Purging Hard Drives
There is a safer and more environmentally-friendly way of disposing of old hard drives: purging. The IEEE Standards Association recently approved a long list of secure ways to wipe the leftover data permanently. One simple way of purging involves overwriting the data with new data patterns. A cryptographic erase is another method that involves deleting the encryption key so that the data is left incomprehensible even to the most advanced hacker.
Purging takes longer than shredding, but it is a more secure method of disposing of old hard drives. Moreover, purging prevents e-waste by allowing old hard drives to be reused. Companies like Seagate extract parts from old, broken hard drives and recycle what can’t be used. The CDI hopes to bring more companies on board to fight against hard drive shredding and to promote a more sustainable and circular economy.
Conclusion
The CDI is fighting for a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly way of disposing of old hard drives. Shredding hard drives doesn’t ensure the security of data and creates e-waste. Purging old hard drives is a safer and more sustainable method that allows old hard drives to be reused. The CDI hopes to bring more companies on board to promote a circular economy and minimize electronic waste.
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