A Twitter friend linked to this CBS News report about digital photocopying machines and the way they store their document images on a hard drive... seemingly forever! They've apparently become goldmines for criminals who can buy used copiers and then experience Christmas morning (for crooks) as they get to quickly and easily "unwrap" their new gifts and discover just what treasures are waiting for them on each discarded drive. Examples from the report included health records, police reports, payroll information, and more.
I was a bit frustrated that no one asked the manufacturers: why is retention of the data a standard feature? What's the value in having digital copies kept, such that a $500 security feature is considered an "add-on" in order to clear the info after it's been scanned, printed or faxed? Why isn't that the default behaviour, maybe with a built-in delay of some short period of time? Given how litigious Americans are, this sounds like a lawsuit (against the copier companies) waiting to happen.
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