The "P" Word? You Know, Privacy & Psecurity.

From Slashdot: “As if having to pay $160 to replace a failed 80-GB drive wasn’t bad enough, Dave Winer learned to his dismay that Apple had no intention of giving him back the disk he paid them to replace. Since it contained sensitive data like source code and account info, Dave rightly worries about what happens if the drive falls into the wrong hands.

Which raises an important question: In an age of identity theft and other confidentiality concerns, is it time for Apple — and other computer manufacturers — to start following the practice of auto mechanics and give you the option of getting back disks that are replaced?”

Should Apple, or any other shop that services your computer, give your hard drive back? Of course they should, and here’s what can happen when they don’t.

Here’s something else to consider before disposing of your old hard drives: Discarded computer hard drives prov[id]e a trove of personal info. And keep this in mind before having any other work performed on your computer too: Consumerist Catches Geek Squad Stealing Porn. The message here is that they could just as easily be pilfering other things too.

What to do? Read up on, and use, disk encryption if you can (it’s easy on OSX, for example). Before you dispose of it wipe it, then physically destroy it: Drill it, beat it with a hammer, or even take it apart and play frisbee with it.