Our lives are very much on our electronic devices these days and when these devices are lost, all our information is at risk. A company’s lost-and-found department can be considered just a small division that is often overlooked within its operations; however, it should never be underestimated just how important this department can be—both from a legal standpoint as well as a customer loyalty standpoint. Companies have a weighty responsibility to properly dispose of cell phones and other personal electronic items that are left behind – both for the integrity of the company and for the privacy of guests.
Factory reset
Did you know that a factory reset on a device does not permanently delete personal data, nor will it prevent a potential data breach? On a test conducted on 100 second-hand factory-reset Android devices, 19% had recoverable data, with 10% containing information such as text messages and call logs from the previous owner. One phone contained sensitive corporate data. By failing to dispose of these devices properly, a company can unintentionally expose their guests to a data breach. They can also be held liable for the total cost of the breach if their customer’s identity was stolen because their lost electronic device was not disposed of properly.
