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Subscribe to this blogSecure CD Disposal
With all the talk about privacy and identity theft, how should I dispose of unneeded old CD-Rs that contain sensitive information?
Nicole Michalke, Schulenburg, Texas
You can buy a device that destroys the data on a CD, or you can do it manually. A gadget is best for a lot of discs, but manual destruction is fine if you have only a handful of discs to annihilate.
For about $50, you can buy either Alera Technologies' DVD/CD Shredder or Royal's MD80 CD/Disk Media Destroyer (see FIGURE 2). Both of these products punch tiny holes into the surface of the CD, obliterating the data. The "shredded" CD is still in one piece, suitable as a coaster or child's art project, but it's unreadable.
Royal's MD100 CD/Media Destroyer & Paper Shredder costs about twice the MD-80, but it chops up CDs, DVDs, floppies, credit cards, and even sheets of paper. The MD100 is a good choice if you're looking to demolish more than just CDs.
The most obvious ways to destroy a CD manually aren't necessarily the best ones. Breaking the disc in half with your hands can send dangerous shards flying. Burning discs or toasting them in a microwave can release toxic fumes. Cutting a CD with scissors is safe enough, but it's not all that secure because cut-up discs have been successfully reassembled and read.
I recommend a combination of techniques. Start by bringing the disc outside, dropping it onto concrete, and rubbing it vigorously into the ground with your foot. Then turn the disc over and rub again. With both sides heavily scratched, cut the disc into as many separate pieces as patience allows. If you're really paranoid, make like the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II and dump the shards in various garbage cans around town.
It sounds like a lot of work, but I have to admit I've never had so much fun testing a tip. In fact, this might make good PC therapy: Every time your system does something to tick you off, go outside and take your frustrations out on an old CD. And if the disc happens to have a certain corporate logo, all the better.
