We’ve been talking a lot about policy issues lately, but I recently came across an interesting information privacy topic that relates well to all of us as business owners/managers. Here’s something I bet you never thought about before. Did you know that almost every digital copier built since 2002 has a hard drive? If not, you’re not alone. About 60% of us didn’t know that either.

Think of what happens to the information stored on that hard drive after your copier comes off lease. Now imagine your bank records, tax forms, payroll reports, copies of checks and other personal information still stored on a copier you once had and now resides who knows where.

A simple solution: require your copier lease company, or your copy machine vendor, to have and use the software necessary to remove all stored data from the machine once it leaves your building. Very few people do this and, in most cases, the cost isn’t prohibitive. We get so focused on the computers and networks that we might be overlooking something more obvious.

Here’s a video clip that can explain the risk further. CW

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y01xLquSIrc]