Report: 99% of recycled cell phones still contain owner data

Tue Feb 3, 2009 11:09AM EST

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The reports of owners purchasing used or refurbished cell phones and other gadgets and finding sensitive material on them have become so commonplace they're no longer eyebrow-raising in the slightest. Why, last week a New Zealand man bought a used MP3 player for about 10 bucks... and was bemused to find it preloaded with U.S. military records and personnel data for troops stationed in the Middle East. In December, an old BlackBerry sold at a McCain campaign garage sale for 20 dollars was found to be preloaded with a mountain of Republican donor information, emails, and more. Just another day at the flea market, it seems...

Why are all these reports popping up? Turns out they're the norm, not the exception, as the vast majority of cell phones sent in for recycling aren't properly wiped clean, with a full 99 percent of them containing sensitive material when they're gotten rid of, including personal emails and financial information and logins.

The numbers come from Regenersis, a cell phone recycling outfit that processed two million handsets last year and tested a random sampling of the phones it's received in order to reach this shocking conclusion.

The truly sad thing is that wiping a cell phone clean is for most handsets not an altogether complex operation (if you've lost your manual, try a web search for the make and model of your cell phone and the phrase "hard reset"), but many phone buyers, in the mad scramble to move to their sexy new handset, simply ignore this step.

And don't expect a recycling firm or a charity to do the wipe for you. Most firms can't afford to spend that kind of time on any given phone and simply check to make sure the phone works, not that it's clean of all data from the previous owner.

I'm not one to recommend destroying a perfectly good gadget that someone else could find useful, so please don't resort to drilling holes in old phones or crushing them with a vise. Instead, take the 60 seconds to figure out how to do a proper factory reset/hard reset on your phone, remove memory and/or SIM cards, check to make sure everything's been wiped, and then send your cleaned-out handset on to the next guy.

Comments on Report: 99% of recycled cell phones still contain owner data

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  • 6 Posted by debsturtles on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    Who really cares!! If you are so worried about someone getting your dull friends numbers or your stupid pictures, than don't recycle!! Destroy it!!

  • 7 Posted by rogueist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just automatically do the reset when I get the phones to ensure that they are clean when I use them. Since I buy nearly every phone that comes out during the year, it's annoying, but yeah this article is right - even brand "new" phones arrive with data on them!

  • 8 Posted by sbigshot on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    Alot of people would like to go back and remove data from old phones but can't unless a SIM card is installed. If you could power up the phone and delete data without the SIM card, I'm sure more people would clear them out before recycling, donating, or selling them.

  • 9 Posted by jupiterjane79 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    it is very simple to bring your phone to the carrier you purchased it from and ask them to either transfer all data or erase all data/reset to factory

  • 10 Posted by bradleyjohnson777 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    i have a 10 year old that sounds better than a hard line. it don't play music, video games, movies, take pictures. it makes and receives phone calls, a novel concept.

  • 11 Posted by jupiterjane79 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    Use common sense.... We want to recycle the phones. Many women's shelters use them for women in abusive relationships to have a safe way to contact and get out. Some kids started an organization to donate your phones where they can turn them in and get phone cards for soldiers overseas. Definitely better than adding to the landfill. I'm pretty sure most service providers allow you to bring in your old phone, have the data transferred to the new phone or have the old phone reset to factory settings to protect you simply from accidentally sharing any private info.

  • 12 Posted by rrzaca1234r@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    Why bother drilling if your not going to recycle just dunk them in a pot of water overnight and then dispose of them. I know I accidently dropped mine in a toliet and even though I recovered it all the information was gone!!!

  • 13 Posted by kskitty68 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    Okay first, laws laws laws....they are regulating so many basic things right now, Im afraid to pass gas in public! Leave the law out of common sense things like wiping phones, gas, etc. I agree with skeptics that wonder, and no way would I allow any company to "wipe" my phone for me. Call me paranoid, but that seems like a really good way to share information that I want kept to myself. Paranoid? No, not when companies are constantly getting hacked and employess are stealing information for use nefarious! Its simple. Call your provider, go online, or read the book! Its called a master reset, hard wipe, hard reset...but for heavens sake, do it yourself, and do it before you donate it!

  • 14 Posted by ties40 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    nice post on number 12. Man Must no have enough to do where he is that he has to make stupid comments.:(

  • 15 Posted by mhw419@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    Where is the "What to do" promised in the headline? I'll take the 60 seconds to do it, but where do I find out how to do it?

  • 16 Posted by jordankoza on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    i drop mine in a glass vinegar over night problem solved

  • 18 Posted by ddwendel@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    BE SMARTER THEN THE AVERAGE BEAR TAKE THE S I M CARD OUT OF YOUR OLD CELL PHONE MOST CARRIERS CAN TRANSFER YOUR INFO SAVE YOUR OLD SIM CARD FOR A BACK-UP WE HAVE DONATED A PHONE TO A SHELTER FOR BATTERED WOMEN THEY REPROGRAM IT FOR ONLY 911 ANY WAY THEY PUT IN A NEW SIM CARD TO DO THAT BE SMART PEOPLE.

  • 19 Posted by roselemay on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    I thought if you took out the memory card then the phone would be safe to recycle. I think the problem is when people turn in the phone with the memory card in tact. Interesting that the article does not mention how to protect your personal data...

  • 20 Posted by clown9994 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    I will never turn in a phone of mine.

  • 21 Posted by dfowler1@prodigy.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    Who can't take the time to wipe the memory clean on these devices? If you consider the growth of identity theft in America, perhaps that will provide the incentive. Why destroy a perfectly good mobile phone just because you've grown tired of it and are upgrading? If it's still working, donate it, along with the battery and accessories. Police and community outreach organizations distribute old cell phones because they provide a vital lifeline for battered women and senior citizens who otherwise couldn't afford these devices.

  • 22 Posted by bevowhoopin101 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    I would guess that a large majority of these recycled phones may be stolen anyway. The owners, myself included, do not get a chance to erase or destroy the information. It seems to be a growing trend that theives can turn these for a quick profit.

  • 24 Posted by thompson37@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow... I had no idea. Thanks! Am I the only one out there who just uses a cell phone for calling others? I feel so behind the times. :)

  • 25 Posted by francieneal@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    I bought a phone from ebay, and when I went to add my contacts, it had all of the previous owner's phone numbers listed. It only takes a minute to delete the info. Paul was right, don't destroy a phone that someone else can use, and we don't need more laws. We just need to be more knowledgeable and do it ourselves before we give the phone away.

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