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When you send your cell phone off for recycling, there's one step you might forget to take—erasing your personal data. In a recent survey by a major cell phone recycler, 99% of cell phones tested still contained sensitive private information that previous owners most certainly wouldn't want to get into the hands of new users.
Here are simple steps to erase the data from your cell phone in preparation for sending it in for recycling or resell.
First, notify your cellular provider and terminate service on your phone. This way, your phone is deactivated and eligible for recycling or resell.
Next, remove your SIM card. This is the tiny card inside your phone, and it contains data stored in your phone. If you aren't sure how to remove it, check your phone's manual or take it to a wireless store for assistance.
Now it's time to erase all the history from your phone. This is done through a hard reset. Instructions for how to conduct a hard reset on your phone can be found in your user's manual, or you can visit Recellular.com to look up instructions specific to your phone.
Finally, double check with the cell phone recycler to which you're sending your phone that they clear out cell phones' data before putting them back into the consumer stream.
More on Gadget Recycling:
Where can I recycle my old electronics?
Recycle Your Electronics Easily at Big Retailers
