NAID Task Force to Examine Data Destruction on SSDs

The Phoenix-based National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) has announced the formation of a task force to develop a standard for what constitutes “reasonable” destruction of information stored on solid state drives (SSDs). This task force, consisting of electronic data destruction industry professionals and outside consultants, will consider the attendant technology, knowledge, expense and likelihood of accessing or reconstructing meaningful data, according to NAID.

“Every data protection regulation in the developed world is based on the principle of reasonableness, a standard which can only be determined by understanding the risks and technology,” says NAID Chief Compliance Officer Holly Vandervort. “This task force will attempt to develop a body of knowledge that consumers can use to make informed decisions on their SSD disposition strategy.”

The task force will evaluate and establish the reasonableness of physical destruction as well as sanitization of SSDs. Sanitization involves the overwriting or removal of data on hard drives in a manner that allows the device to be reused.

In addition to setting a reasonableness standard for destruction of data on SSDs, the task force will evaluate methods, procedures and quality controls used in the process. Ultimately, the project will lead to a NAID whitepaper defending the consensus achieved by the task force and provide information for data custodians to form their own reasonableness standards for the destruction of information on SSDs.

“A limited number of studies on the effectiveness of SDD sanitization have produced contradictory findings,” says Robert Haskins, CEO of Gigabiter Inc., Norristown, Pa., and co-chair of the NAID task force. “While we will certainly evaluate these studies, we also plan to commission new research.”

Angie Keating, CEO of Reclamere Inc., Tyrone, Pa., joins Haskins as co-chair of the NAID SSD task force. Dag Adamson of LifeSpan Technology Recycling, Newton, Mass.; Gary Moore of Sprint, Overland Park, Kan.; J. Martin Garcia of Reagan Wireless, Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Craig Boswell of Hobi International, Batavia, Ill.; and Todd Barelmann, CSDS, of Cascade Asset Management, Madison, Wis., round out the task force.

“NAID is very proud to have assembled such a diverse team of secure data destruction professionals and stakeholders,” NAID CEO Bob Johnson says. “The quality and integrity of this team will undoubtedly lead to practical and trustworthy guidance for the destruction of data on SSDs.”