In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. This European privacy legislation is called the Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming (AVG) in the Netherlands. When the GDPR came into force, privacy and data security were often a topic of discussion. In the meantime, more than three years later, attention for the GDPR seems to have faded in many businesses.

What does the GDPR actually say?

The GDPR is there to protect the privacy of citizens in the EU from data collection or processing companies operating within the EU. The GDPR therefore states that personal data may not be collected or processed arbitrarily, but is only allowed when at least one of the six principles is met. The GDPR then describes how companies must deal with data that are collected, what they may be used for and it ultimately states that they must be destroyed. The GDPR specifies a legal retention period, after which you are obliged to destroy data. This applies both to data recorded on paper and to data recorded on electronic data carriers.

Destruction of data

If you are designated by the GDPR as the data controller or if your data carriers contain business-sensitive information, you want to be sure that the party you choose to destroy these data will do so in a proper manner. If these kind of data were to be made public, the consequences would be huge! Fines, damage to image and loss of customers are just a few examples. The GDPR does not attach any rules to the destruction of data and only states that the party responsible for these data must demonstrably ensure proper destruction.

When disposing of old hardware, it is therefore always important to find a party with the necessary resources to destroy data confidentially and completely. And from whom you will also receive a full registration and destruction certificate to prove that you have dealt with your data in the correct way.

Shredding or wiping?

Many companies would like to have data carriers removed and shredded from the hardware they provide. This is in spite of the fact that many data carriers are still perfectly suitable for use in terms of their capacity and other specifications. Wiping is an excellent alternative to shredding, as long as the correct certified software is used.

Holland Recycling is a Certified Business Partner of Certus Software. This software is certified by NATO and CESG, among others. Furthermore, we apply a triple overwrite protocol as standard for even greater security. The great thing about wiping hard drives is that the hardware, which is far from being written off, can get a second or maybe even a third life! In contrast to shredding, wiping data carriers is financially attractive and contributes to the circular economy.

Would you still like to have your hard disks shredded? Choose a company with a shredder specifically for hard disks. The output fraction of our shredder has a shredding width in accordance with DIN66399 protection class 3, safety level H5. Data can then never be recovered!