University students buy Pentagon’s sensitive data for $40

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Secret files found on MP3 player

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When you shop for new gadgets, gizmos, or any kind of consumer electronics, do you ever think about where they end up after you’re done with them? E-waste (electronic waste) has become a major problem in developed countries, the largest contributers or e-waste. Their solution? Ship them to the developing countries and let them worry about it. Although the export of e-waste is technically banned by international treaties, an often way to get around this is via donations of used electronics.

Among these piles of e-waste are disposed computers with hard drives containing valuable information. Recently, UBC graduate journalism students filming a documentary on e-waste in in Ghana, Africa discovered sensitive information related to contracts between the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security and the military contractor Northrop Grumman. The students bought this hard drive for just $40.

It’s quite shocking to hear that the Pentagon, known for its secrecy, would leave this kind of information unguarded. This documentary explores the rising problems of discarded electronics such as computers and televisions from North America and Europe making their way to the slums of Africa.

When people dispose their computers, most of them forget to erase their information from the hard drives. This presents a huge risk, allowing for identity theft and fraud. Like many people, this problem of safely disposing information never occurred to me.

However, this problem is easily preventable using data wiping methods such as formating the hard drive. For safety measures, it is better to formate and write over the drive more than 8 times so the information is not retrievable.

The disposal of e-waste and information has become a major problem. Consumers have to be vigilant and aware of the consequences when purchasing and disposing e-waste.