New figures reveal that three in 10 UK adults (29%) don’t know how to wipe their personal information from an old device or tech product.
With the festive period looming, over a quarter (27%) of UK adults are planning to treat themselves to a new device this Christmas. However, our latest poll found that the average Brit has three unused devices sitting at home.
Three-quarters (75%) of people have held onto at least one old device, with a fifth (20%) having done so because they are worried about their personal information.
More than two-thirds of UK adults (71%) agree that erasing your personal information is important, however almost one quarter (24%) believe that it is too difficult.
While the majority of people (84%) would make sure they have erased all their personal information from a device before they dispose of it, young people are the least concerned about their personal information. 14% of people aged 18-34 admitted they would not wipe their device at all, compared to only 4% of people over the age of 55.
One in five (21%) young people do not think it is important to wipe their personal information, while almost a quarter (23%) do not have concerns about what might happen to their data.
Suzanne Gordon, Director of Public Advice and Data Protection Complaints, said:
“Many of us will be looking to replace our phones and other devices over the Christmas period, so it’s great to see that so many people recognise the importance of safely wiping your personal information. With the New Year being an ideal time to declutter, there’s no reason to leave your old devices to gather dust in a drawer.
“Erasing your personal information from an old device doesn’t need to be difficult, and it means that your data can’t be accessed by anybody else, either by mistake or for malicious purposes such as fraud. For example, a factory reset via the settings can adequately erase your personal information from most mobile phones.
“As the data protection regulator, we’re here to support you with advice and guidance to help you to dispose of your old devices responsibly and stay in control of your own personal information.”
We have plenty of practical advice for the public on protecting your personal data online and when using devices. Specifically, we have guidance on deleting your data from different devices, and guidance on what to do if you want to stop using a smart device.
Scott Butler, Executive Director, Recycle Your Electricals, said:
“We’ve all got that drawer of doom or cluttered cupboard with unused electricals at home – in fact there are over 800 million items stashed in our homes. One of the benefits of taking the time to delete your data, means that you might be able to safely sell some of your tech and electricals and make a bit of cash after Christmas. Just make sure that you follow Recycle Your Electricals guidance to destroy any data on your devices and our tips to get the best sale price.
“And if they are broken, don’t forget – anything with a plug, cable or battery should never be binned and should always be reused or recycled. To find your nearest recycling points – search recycle your electricals where you will find over 27,000 recycling points across the UK.”
Research was conducted by Savanta on behalf of the ICO. Savanta conducted the survey amongst 2,170 members of the UK public between 13th and 16th December 2024. The extrapolated figure is our own calculation.
Notes to editors
- The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and information rights law, upholding information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
- The ICO has specific responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA2018), the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and a further five acts and regulations.
- The ICO can take action to address and change the behaviour of organisations and individuals that collect, use, and keep personal information. This includes criminal prosecution, non-criminal enforcement and audit.
- To report a concern to the ICO telephone call our helpline on 0303 123 1113, or go to ico.org.uk/concerns.
