Legal Research

"Ethical Obligation to Wipe Your Old Computers - And Other Media"

This post was written by John Gregory: "It remains a continuing problem as to how to destroy digital data. In some instances one may have to destroy the storage medium itself.

Lately the Florida State Bar published a proposed advisory ethics opinion to the effect that lawyers have an obligation to ensure that confidential data -- personal information but also client data generally -- must be effectively erased from any storage medium before that medium is disposed of. This extends beyond computer drives to cell phones, digital fax machines and copiers (which have memories that keep the data), and even to third-party service providers' equipment. The opinion does not say how the media are to be 'sanitized'..."

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Source: Slaw.ca, 14 October 2010. Reproduced with permission of Simon Fodden, founder of Slaw.

Full post as published by Stark County Law Library Blawg on October 14, 2010 (boomark / email).