County to Offer Hard Drive and Backup Tape Disposal

The County of Maui will be holding a free, drive-through hard drive and backup tape destruction and disposal service next weekend.

Residents are urged to remove the hard drive from any old computers, laptops, printers or other electronic devices and bring just the hard drive(s) to the event, where they can hand their hard drives over to members of the County’s Information Technology (IT) Services Division.

IT staff will destroy the drives and make sure they are disposed of properly. Backup tapes will be thoroughly wiped of any information. An information table with cyber security materials also will be available.

The event will be held in the lower parking lot behind the Kalana O Maui County Building on Nov. 23, in observance of Cyber Security Awareness Month, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Here is a list of computer security tips from the county:

• Set strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone.
• Keep your operating system, browser and other critical software optimized by installing updates.
• Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends and community about Internet safety.
• Limit the amount of personal information you post online and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
• Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.