The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) is holding a data destruction event on Wednesday (March 10) to give electronic recyclers some peace of mind before they recycle old hardware.
“Recycle your electronics and protect yourself from fraud. March is Fraud Prevention Month, and AbbyPD and the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) are partnering, for the third year, to help protect your private information through data destruction,” says a March 9 news release.
The event takes place at the APD headquarters (2838 Justice Way) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
People can bring old hardware such as hard drives, computers, laptops, phones, tablets, tapes and small devices storing potentially sensitive personal information and data, and have it wiped clean or destroyed for free before it’s recycled.
Data storage devices such as hard drives will be destroyed using the ERA’s shredder machine to prevent it from being recovered, according to the release.
COVID-19 health protocols will be in place for staff, and the department asks the public to wear face masks when near staff at the event.
Those who are unable to attend the event can visit the ERA website for drop off instructions and locations.