The IT Nerd

I’ve always wondered what happened when you returned a computer or some storage device to a big box retailer. My suspicion has always been that they are simply resold and the data isn’t erased. Now the Privacy Commissioner has confirmed my worst fears when it comes to Canadian Staples stores:

Staples Business Depot stores failed to fully wipe customer data from returned devices such as laptops and USB hard drives destined for resale, a privacy audit has found. The long-standing problem put customers’ personal information at risk, says Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart.

“Our findings are particularly disappointing given we had already investigated two complaints against Staples involving returned data storage devices and the company had committed to taking corrective action,” says Commissioner Stoddart.

“While Staples did improve procedures and control mechanisms after our investigations, the audit showed those procedures and controls were not consistently applied, nor were they always effective – leaving customers’ personal information at serious risk.”

Well. This is one great reason why I’m shouldn’t shop at Staples. Their response [Warning: PDF] to this is another reason to avoid them. Why? If you read it, it appears to minimize this issue. Here’s a third reason why you should avoid Staples. Watch this report on the CBC and listen to what their spokesperson says about 1:20 into the story. He argues that the risks are exaggerated.

Excuse me?

Clearly this shows that Staples isn’t interested in doing the right thing, never mind what they’re legally required to do. You might want to think about that the next time you choose a store to buy your next computer or hard drive from. I know that’s what I am going to.

This entry was posted on June 21, 2011 at 9:27 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Canada, Privacy, Staples. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.