Before you trash that phone, read this
March 16, 2009 By Chuck MyersIf you own a cell phone, at some point you're likely to upgrade to a newer model. But what should you do with your old phone?
Consumers have several options available when it comes to disposing an old cell phone. You can trash it, recycle it, donate it to a charity, even resell it.
No matter what you do with your old phone, though, remove all the sensitive information that resides on it. This includes erasing passwords, phone book, call lists, account numbers, voice mails, text messages, photos, medical data and any other personal data you want to keep out of the hands of strangers, particularly identity thieves.
Permanent data deletion requires removing the memory, or subscriber identity module (SIM) card from the phone. An owner's manual, your wireless provider's Web site or the phone's manufacturer may also contain information on how to permanently delete information from a mobile phone - and even how to transfer information to a new device before deletion.
Another good place to find out about data deletion is the ReCellular Web site (www.recellular.com/recycling/data_eraser/default.asp). ReCelluar, a company that recycles and resells used cell phones, features a manufacturer and model search on its site that allows visitors to access deletion instructions for specific cell phone types.
Once you've removed data from a cell phone, you can take the next step - disposal.
After you have purged the phone of data, throwing it away may not be your best option. Cell phones contain batteries and heavy metals, which if they end up in a landfill, could pose an environmental hazard. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends first checking with your local health and sanitation agencies for proper disposal guidelines, before tossing an old cell phone in the garbage.
___
(c) 2009, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
-
EPA promotes cell phone recycling
Jan 08, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
NTT DoCoMo unveils ring-shaped cell phone
Oct 04, 2005 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Paraben's CSI Stick Copies Data from Cell Phones
Sep 01, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Cell Phone Calls Via Fixed-line Networks, Via Bluetooth
Mar 18, 2005 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Old cell phones make new businesses
Jan 14, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Need help reading 3-D
12 hours ago
-
A way to send and receive wireless data
18 hours ago
-
Tabletop Cold Fusion Reactor
19 hours ago
-
Calling function with no input argument
Feb 10, 2012
-
Force free body diagram problem on gym equipment
Feb 10, 2012
-
Empirical data regarding shower heads and water
Feb 10, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
More news stories
Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...
Love a click away in Indonesia's Twitter Republic
He was a geeky kid from Yogyakarta, she a glamorous city girl in Jakarta. In a country with one of the world's most vibrant social networking scenes they fell in love on Twitter.
1 hour ago |
not rated yet |
0
Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...
GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear
A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.
21 hours ago |
4 / 5 (2) |
0
Europeans protest controversial Internet pact
Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.
17 hours ago |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
0
Latin America mining boom clashes with conservation
Latin America is experiencing a mining boom as prices rise fuelled by a hike in global demand, but the region is also being hit by a wave of violent protests, strikes and rallies by environmentalists.
Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket
A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.
Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...
Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings
(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.
Navy to begin tests on electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher
The Office of Naval Research (ONR)'s Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility ...
Explained: Sigma
It's a question that arises with virtually every major new finding in science or medicine: What makes a result reliable enough to be taken seriously? The answer has to do with statistical significance -- but ...