您可能已经听说过“电子垃圾(electronic waste)”这个词以及它对环境造成的破坏。这篇文章不是关于浪费和对地球的破坏。相反，它侧重于数据的安全性。这意味着，当您丢弃旧手机时，即使您手动删除了旧设备上的所有数据，对您来说也不安全。当我说如何正确处理电子设备时，让我们更深入地了解我的意思。
电子设备的类型
- 计算机和电话——可以使用处理器和操作系统在其中自动或手动存储数据的电子设备属于此类
- 数字媒体——(Digital Media –)例如数码相机和 mp3 播放器。任何包含多媒体内容（例如音乐和图像等）的设备都属于此类别
- 外围设备(Devices)——这些是其他电子部件用来扩展其功能的设备。示例是外部硬盘、SD 卡(SD Cards)、USB 记忆棒(USB Sticks)和类似的东西
- 游戏设备-(– Electronic)能够通过有线或无线连接发送数据以控制任何其他电子设备的电子或数字设备
- 其他设备——用于娱乐或家用电器的电子设备属于这一类；它们也包含一些他们可能随时间收集的信息。此类设备的示例包括 -智能电视(Smart TVs)、联网咖啡机和类似设备。这些也需要进行清理，以免您的数据落入他人手中。
您是否(Did)从废弃设备中安全删除了所有数据？
以 Windows 10 平板电脑为例，您可能会执行软件重置并假设他们已正确删除手机中的所有数据。事实并非如此。从设备中删除的数据很容易恢复。它所需要的只是一个好的数据恢复工具。
即使一个人通过将手机连接到计算机来手动删除手机内容，或者只是一个一个地删除项目，它仍然是不安全的。这种删除可以撤消，并且数据总是可以由接管废弃设备的人使用数据恢复工具来恢复（读取）。当本应删除的数据包含信用卡信息、家庭地址等信息时，这可能会导致安全问题。
如何处理电子设备
有一些方法可以根据您处理它们的方式从电子设备中删除数据。
如果您将任何计算机或类似电子设备赠送给其他人或任何机构，您需要在设备离开您的手之前对其进行“消毒”。有不同的方法来处理电子设备或对其进行消毒。其中一些在下面提到。
- 使用(Use)硬重置安全擦除手机和平板电脑。通常，启动硬重置的组合是同时按下电源(Power)和降低(Lower)音量按钮。如果这不起作用，您可以转到手机设置并在那里使用重置选项。Settings > Factory设置方法可能不可靠，因为我们不知道使用该命令删除数据的安全程度。它在不同的品牌之间变化。
- 使用Microsoft Surface Data Eraser等软件安全擦除计算机、手机、平板电脑和其他电子产品（如数码相机(Digital Cameras)和随身听(Walkman)）中的数据。几乎(Almost)每个设备都可以连接到笔记本电脑或 PC，以便可以在其上使用安全擦除软件。
- 一些软件提供覆盖现有数据的功能(software offer to write over the existing data)，使整个存储变得不可读。一些删除现有数据并重写电子设备存储位置的随机字符
- 有几个免费软件可以让您永久删除文件(delete files permanently)。微软(Microsoft)在其解释如何处理旧电脑的页面上推荐了 KillDisk(KillDisk)和DP Wiper 。您也可以使用其他免费的加密工具(free encryption tools)。
- 如果您认为硬盘驱动器或电话卡上的数据很有价值，也可以选择物理销毁存储设备。如果您手机或计算机上的数据可以泄露您的秘密，并且您对磁盘擦除软件不满意，那么物理销毁数据是一个不错的选择。物理损坏硬盘驱动器或手机、平板电脑等，直到您确定数据无法恢复。
- 其他电子设备，如智能电视(TVs)或咖啡机，应在丢弃前恢复出厂状态；如果您觉得这些设备上的数据太重要，您可能会考虑物理销毁这些设备
以上说明了如何在您处置属于您的电子设备之前销毁数据，以使其存储设备上的数据无法恢复。
丢弃(Dispose)电子设备——环境因素
我们已经写过关于计算机和电子设备如何经常污染土地和空气，使它们无法使用的主题。有关详细信息，请阅读电子垃圾问题、危害和解决方案。(E-Waste Problem, Hazards and Solutions.)
确保在处理电子设备之前检查这两个因素——数据破坏和环境危害。(Make sure you check both factors – data destruction, and environmental hazard – before you dispose of electronic devices.)
相关阅读(Related read)：如何安全地处置旧电脑(How to Securely and Safely dispose of old Computers)。
How to properly dispose of electronic devices
You might alreadу have heard of thе term ‘electronic waste‘ and the damage it does to the environment. This article is not about waste and damages to the earth. Rather, it focuses on the security of your data. That means, when you throw away an old phone, it is not safe for you even if you have deleted all data on the old device manually. Let’s look deeper into what I mean when I say how to dispose of electronic devices properly.
Types of electronic devices
- Computers and phones – electronic devices that can use a processor and an operating system to automatically or manually store data inside them fall into this category
- Digital Media – an example could be digital cameras and mp3 players. Any device that contains multimedia content such as music and images etc. artifacts fall into this category
- Peripheral Devices – these are the devices that are used by other electronic parts to extend their functionality. Examples are an external hard disk, SD Cards, USB Sticks, and similar things
- Gaming Devices – Electronic or digital devices capable of sending data over wired or wireless connections for controlling any other electronic device
- Other devices – Electronic devices that are used for entertainment or home appliances fall into this category; they too contain some information that they may have collected over time. Examples of this category devices are – Smart TVs, a connected coffee maker, and similar things. These too, need to be sanitized so that your data does not fall into other people’s hands.
Did you delete all data securely from your discarded device?
Taking a Windows 10 tablet as an example, one might perform a software reset and assume that they have deleted all data properly from the phone. It is not the case. The data simply deleted from the device is readily available for recovery. All it requires is a good data recovery tool.
Even if a person deletes phone contents manually by connecting it to a computer or simply deletes items one by one, it still is not safe. That kind of deletions can be undone, and data can always be restored (read) by the person who takes over the discarded device using data recovery tools. This could lead to security concerns when the supposedly deleted data contains information such as credit card information, house address, etc.
How to dispose of electronic devices
There are certain methods to remove data from electronic devices based on how you dispose of them.
If you are giving away any computer or similar electronic device to someone else or any institution, you need to “sanitize” the device before it leaves your hand. There are different methods to dispose of electronic devices or to sanitize them. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Use hard reset for securely erasing of mobile phones and tablets. More than often, the combination to initiate a hard reset is to press the Power and Lower Volume button at the same time. If that does not work, you can go to phone settings and use the reset option there. The Settings > Factory reset method may not be dependable though as we won’t know how securely data was deleted using that command. It changes among different brands.
- Using some software like Microsoft Surface Data Eraser to securely wipe off the data from computers, phones, tablets, and other electronics such as Digital Cameras, and Walkman. Almost every device can be connected to a laptop or a PC so that secure erase software may be used on them.
- Some software offer to write over the existing data so that the entire storage becomes unreadable. Some delete the existing data and rewrite random characters all over the storage place of the electronic devices
- There are several freeware that will let you delete files permanently. Microsoft has recommended KillDisk and DP Wiper on its page explaining how to dispose of old computers. You may also use other free encryption tools.
- Physical destruction of storage devices is also an option if you think that the data on the hard disk drive or phone card is valuable. If the data on your phone or computer can reveal secrets about you and you are not satisfied with disk wipe software, physical destruction of the data is a good option. Physically damage the hard disk drive or phones, tablets, etc., until you are sure that the data is beyond recovery.
- Other electronic devices like smart TVs or coffee makers should be reset to factory condition before being discarded; if you feel data on those devices is too important, you might consider physically destroying the devices
The above states how to destroy data before you dispose of electronic devices that belonged to you so that the data on their storage devices is irrecoverable.
Dispose off electronic devices – The environmental factor
We had already written on this topic of how the computer and electronic devices can pollute both land and air, very often, making them unusable. For details, please read E-Waste Problem, Hazards and Solutions.
Make sure you check both factors – data destruction, and environmental hazard – before you dispose of electronic devices.
Related read: How to Securely and Safely dispose of old Computers.
