Secrets on Your Cell Phone?

by | Sep 7, 2006 | Tecknowledgy, Week in Geek

I read an interesting article last week in the Houston Chronicle about what happens to information stored on your phone after you “delete” it. 

Apparently, despite following the instructions in your phone’s manual, if you delete content from your phone it may not really be gone. 

The next person to use your phone (if you sell it or return it to your carrier to be refurbished) would be able to, if they had the desire and know how, to retrieve any information you thought was deleted.

The alarming thing is, this also applies to computers. Think of all the personal information stored on just your home computers. Bank account information, passwords, social security information, the list is endless. 

My wife and daughter recently sent their old phones back to Cingular to be refurbished and resold. After reading this article, I’m not so sure that was a good idea. 

There are several firms who can, for a fee of course, truly erase and reset your phone or computer so it is empty for the next user. While that seems to be worth the time and money, I kind of like the author’s suggestion of running over my old phone with a truck.

What do you do with your old phones and computers? Is it worth the price to have your phone completely erased, or would you just run over it with a truck?

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