Stellar had released a study report in 2017 that revealed widespread residual data in the storage devices. The purpose of the 2019 study is to revalidate the findings by using NAID approved principles on a very large sample size of second hand storage devices.
Download the graphical stats to get quick insights of the study findings on second hand devices.
Hard Drives Mix
Total 151 desktop, laptop & external hard drives of 7 makes were procured with up to 1.5 TB capacity
Memory Cards Mix
Total 150 memory cards of 23 makes were procured with up to 8GB capacity
Mobile Phones Mix
Total 10 mobile phones of 7 makes were procured with up to 8GB capacity
Overall Risk Awareness

Memory Card Risks
Download Graphic
Hard Disk Drive Risks
Download Graphic
Mobile Phone Risks
Download Graphic
Type of Data Compromised
82 devices were improperly disposed of after deleting the files or formatting the media.
140 devices had undeleted data, without any action taken at all by the user/reseller.
Deleted Data vs Undeleted Data