Resellers of old computer equipment say they will no longer accept used equipment without charging for erasing hard drives to ensure they aren't held liable for exposing sensitive data. . . .
Resellers of old computer equipment say they will no longer accept used equipment without charging for erasing hard drives to ensure they aren't held liable for exposing sensitive data.

Marc Sherman, chairman and CEO of WindsorTech Inc. in Highstown, N.J., a used IT equipment reseller, charges companies a flat $8.75 fee for performing a basic audit of used computer equipment and $10 to $30 for erasing disk arrays, depending on the disk's size.

"As the business developed over the years, we've gone into a world where data security is critical," he said. "The whole thing now is we're in a situation where we're reluctant to buy equipment unless we're fully indemnified. Otherwise, it puts us in a very dangerous situation.

"It's been an educational process for IT users. The information on a computer doesn't belong to the company. It belongs to the customer," he said.

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