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Two-Thirds of Second-Hand Memory Cards Contain Data From Previous Owners (bleepingcomputer.com)
Catalin Cimpanu, writing for BleepingComputer: A recent study conducted by academics from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK has revealed that almost two-thirds of second-hand memory cards still contain remnants of personal data from previous owners. For their study, researchers analyzed 100 second-hand SD and micro SD memory cards purchased from eBay, conventional auctions, second-hand shops, and other sources over a four-month period. All in all, researchers say the memory cards they recovered were previously used in smartphones and tablets, but some cards were also used cameras, SatNav systems, and even drones. The research team says the analysis process consisted of creating a bit-by-bit image of the card and then using freely available software to see if they could recover any data from the card. Their efforts were successful and worrisome at the same time, as the team says it managed to recover data from the memory cards, including intimate photos, selfies, passport copies, contact lists, navigation files, pornography, resumes, browsing history, identification numbers, and other personal documents.
...that it's ONLY 2/3rds. Who remembers / bothers to erase that data, anyway? For my cameras and GPSs, I doubt that I'd bother. Info available is immensely non-useful to anyone else. A PC memory I would erase, and spend time writing 1's, 0's, and then random #'s to it, but the other hardware I really wouldn't care about.
And who is SELLING these memory cards, anyway? That's not how you get rid of 'em. You get rid of 'em by losing them. Everybody knows that.