5.6 - Data & System Disposal
Exam Board:
OCR
Specification:
2016 - Unit 1
Computer components such as circuit boards, processors and monitors contain hazardous materials that cannot be disposed of in traditional ways such as rubbish collection and landfills.
For security reasons, data must also be disposed of carefully so that it is not returned to a readable format by unauthorised viewers.
Legislation
In recent years, the government has introduced different laws that relate to the safe disposal of computer equipment to help reduce environmental impact.
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Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive:
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​This provides guidance on how hazardous materials should be disposed of safely. This includes materials such as mercury (found in smartphones and newer monitors) and toner cartridges in printers. These materials can damage the environment if not disposed of appropriately.
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Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC):
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​Equipment must meet these rules before it can be sent to a landfill. Hazardous materials, such as the elements in computer monitors, do not meet these criteria and should not be accepted.
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Hazardous Waste Directive:
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This ensures businesses safely store hazardous materials and use authorised businesses to dispose of the waste. Hazardous materials include mercury and hexavalent chromium.
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Data Protection Act (DPA):
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​One principle of the DPA specifies that data should only be kept for a reasonable amount of time until it is securely deleted. Data stored on customers should be checked regularly and permanently deleted if no longer required.
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Methods of Data & System Disposal
Overwriting is when new data is written to the hard disk drive to replace the current data - essentially resetting the data. Remember all data stored by a computer is in a binary format.
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Overwriting just once is usually not enough to remove all evidence of the data and the process may be repeated several times.
Overwriting data causes no damage and means the drive can still be used for other purposes afterwards.
Electromagnetic wiping uses a machine called a degausser, which has a very strong electromagnetic coil, to completely wipe the hard disk drive.
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Many large organisations use degaussers to be sure that their data is no longer on the devices they have used so it can’t be restored and accessed by unauthorised viewers.
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Degaussers are expensive to buy but it allows the device to be used again for other purposes afterwards as it is not physically damaged.
A third option is the physical destruction of a computer system or storage device, like a hard disk drive, which guarantees the data is permanently inaccessible.
However, physical destruction also renders the storage media unusable again for other purposes.
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Examples of physical destruction include shredding (e.g. a CD shredder) or tools such as sledgehammers if no other option is available.
Questo's Questions
5.6 - Data & System Disposal:
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1. Describe the purpose of 4 different pieces of legislation relating to how data or computer systems should be disposed of safely. [8]
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2a. State 3 methods of data and system disposal. [3]
2b. Describe 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of using each method you stated in 2a. [6]