Net Zeros and Ones

CHAPTER 16Conclusion

There are thousands of privacy professionals and security practitioners whose days are consumed with concern for keeping data safe. They must think about how to keep it from prying eyes, ransomware gangs, spy agencies, and inadvertent leaks. In this book we have laid out a path for eliminating that concern, at least at one important stage of the data lifecycle—the end of its life.

There are myriad laws, regulations, and standards for data sanitization. But, thankfully, creating a data sanitization policy and living by it can fulfill all the reporting requirements for any of these as long as the guidance in this book is followed.

Perhaps the greatest result of publishing a book on data sanitization will be a single resource not only to promote good privacy and security but to move the world closer to a sustainable existence. We cannot stop the adoption of newer, faster, better technology, but we can reduce the waste associated with older generations of devices. Large manufacturers are beginning to take reusability into account in their designs. They already incorporate recycled materials in their products, and many take responsibility for returns and repurposing their products for a second life, or using the reclaimed materials for remanufacturing.

As related by the executives from TES, Ingram, and 3 Step, ITADs can grow their business by participating in sustainability. Initiatives from e-Stewards, I-SIGMA, and SERI are contributing to those efforts by ...