While optical media has taken a back seat to cloud storage, it’s still a major security risk. That’s why you should seriously consider destroying any recordable CDs, DVDs, or Blu-Rays that you don’t need anymore.
Why Optical Media is a Security Risk
The very thing that’s made optical media such a convenience is what makes it a security risk: its portability. You can save files quickly and share them with other people quickly. But that also means that people can share discs with people that they’re not supposed to.
If they’re thrown away, dumpster divers can fish them out and see what’s on them. With some Blu-Ray discs storing over 100 GB of data, that’s a lot to lose.
If confidential information like personal medical records is exposed, you can even be subject to legal consequences.
Don’t Use That Hammer!
If you have optical media you don’t use anymore, you might be tempted to try to destroy them yourself, such as by smashing them with a hammer. If you try to break any discs, they often create sharp plastic shards that can fly and injure yourself and others.
How To Safely Get Rid of Unused Optical Discs
If you’re looking to safely get rid of unused optical discs, you should seriously consider a machine that can destroy them, like Phiston’s MediaDice Optical Disc Destroyer. A machine like this will shred discs much like a paper shredder does for paper documents. You can also use it for destroying magnetic strip cards like ID badges, so no one else can use them. So a device like this is a good investment for your peace of mind.
Conclusion
Optical media is much less frequently used these days, so much so that many new computers don’t even have them installed. Even so, many organizations still have these discs lying around. Since they store such large amounts of data, that’s a lot of potentially sensitive data that can be exposed. So you should dispose of them safely. Please feel free to get in touch with us to see which of our media destruction devices may be right for you.
