According to the Financial Times, technology manufacturers now have to destroy millions of data storage devices each year, despite the fact that they can be reused.
Technology companies tend to remove storage devices as soon as they seem outdated or due to concerns about data leakage. This behavior is extremely wasteful because, according to experts, data can be deleted safely and all devices can be reused.
The Financial Times said that destroying servers and hard drives every few years instead of deleting data and selling them to others is a standard process for technology businesses. It has a negative impact on the planet and the environment.
Major companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google all upgrade storage hardware every 4 or 5 years. Together with banks, government agencies, and police, these companies must destroy tens of millions of devices each year because if data is leaked, even in small quantities, it will lead to serious legal consequences.
Issues such as destroying outdated hardware, electronic waste, recycling and using more complex energy than people know.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard University, USA, have shown that most of the carbon generated in the technology industry is from the production and destruction stages, not when used. Therefore, destroying the devices is not necessarily the right action.
This can help ensure data security, but according to many experts, this is not a necessary choice. Many hard drives and servers can continue to be used for many years, even decades after old data is deleted.
