In today’s technology world it is not uncommon for people to replace computers, laptops, cell phones, printers, copy machines, iPods, cameras, digital media cards and other devices on a regular basis.  However most people do not think about the implications of such actions. That last cell phone you threw away very possibly had a SD card or other media type in it, which is very easy for a person with little technical knowledge to retrieve information off of such as personal pictures, documents, phone numbers, text message and call logs. A person with more technical ability can get data off the built in memory on such devices.

Most people would never think of a printer or copier as a major risk to get rid of but as you can read in this article http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/19/eveningnews/main6412439.shtml, highly sensitive information can be retrieved and is often sent all around the world for anybody to get a hold of. Though it may cost a bit of money to properly clear the data, how much is your identity or confidential information worth?