Apple no longer uses hard drives for storage in Macbooks. This ensures that your device is thin as the SSD is fitted within the frame of the device. This means that, when your device dies, you can’t take off the hard drive to destroy it to keep your private information safe from prying eyes.
Even so, there are a few methods you can use to ensure that you protect your privacy as you throw away your old device.
Shred The SSD
The best way to get rid of the information on your SSD is to shred it. You can do it by yourself or have it shredded at a recycling center. If you can do it by yourself, it is cheap and easy. However, if you have to take it to a recycling center, shredding and SSD can be expensive. The equipment required to shred the SSD from your Macbook is expensive to acquire and hence the service.
Shredding the SSD requires that you destroy it and the memory chips in it completely. For proper shredding, ensure that the SSD shredder leaves very tiny pieces of your SSD. Essentially, the shredded debris from your SSD should be at least less than half an inch. This ensures that nothing can be collected and your information recovered.
If your SSD looks like a hard disk, you can access the memory chips within it easily. This allows you to destroy the chips completely. This ensures that the information in your dead Mac cannot be accessed by anyone maintaining your privacy.
Use An Antivirus
Always make sure that your MacBook has the latest antivirus software in it. Antivirus helps to keep the integrity of your device. You expose yourself to many security vulnerabilities when you operate your Mac without an Antivirus.
When you buy or update your device, you need to get antivirus immediately. You can easily acquire antivirus for your device. You can easily download it from a trusted source or check for free antivirus in the Mac system to protect your device. The antivirus in the system is effective as it is updated regularly. Ensuring that your device is properly protected. The antivirus helps to maintain your privacy when using the device and also once it is dead.
Encrypt The Information In Your SSD
The easiest and cheapest method to ensure that you protect your privacy when your Mac dies is to encrypt your SSD. This means that you don’t have to worry about the information in your SSD. All you need is an encryption key that locks your SSD and the information in it. Ensuring that no one can gain access to it.
Filevault is encryption software that is part of the macOS. You can use it to easily encrypt the information in your SSD. Filevault is a full disk encryption software that keeps your disks safe if they fall into the wrong hands.
Encryption works with a key. The software encrypts all the information on the disk. Without the encryption key, the SSD and the information are useless and inaccessible. Make sure that you enable the Filevault software on your device. This ensures that the SSD is blocked and no one can get the information in it when you throw it away.
Take It To A Recycler
When your Mac dies, you can take it to an Apple recycler. Apple runs a free Macbook recycling program. You can send the device to them for it to be safely recycled and SSD reformatted or destroyed to get rid of your information safely.
However, the recycling program warns you to delete all sensitive information in the device. This is a warning and a reminder that your privacy is your responsibility. So make sure that any sensitive information in your device is deleted before you ship it for recycling.
You can also use other electronics recycler service providers. They are supposed to ensure that the SSD drives are completely shredded. This ensures that your privacy is protected even when your Mac dies.
Recycling your device also ensures that you don’t pile old laptops in your house when you don’t use them and is good for the environment.
Conclusion
When your Mac dies, make sure that your information is protected. Format your SSD and encrypt it to ensure that no one can gain access to your private information. Also, remember to back up everything you don’t need to be destroyed when you shred the SSD or recycle the Mac.
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