Phonecheck secures Level 4 certification for device data erasure

Phonecheck has been was awarded Level 4 Assurance certification for its device data-erasure technology after independent testing couldn’trecover information from devices that had been erased using Phonecheck software.

A factory reset or deletion of files does not necessarily mean that previously stored personal or corporate information is irretrievable. Independent recovery testing provides evidence that a sanitisation process has rendered data irretrievable before a device is refurbished, resold or otherwise returned to circulation.

The certification was carried out by ADISA, whose specialist research laboratory tests whether data claimed to have been erased can subsequently be recovered.

Level 4 certification means Phonecheck’s claims are backed by formal independent professional assessment and public certification.

ADISA used forensic tools and its own recovery techniques to attempt to recover user data following sanitisation.

The tested solution achieved a pass for device reuse.

Secondary-market risk

“Secure data erasure is an important issue for the growing secondary-device market because smartphones, tablets, laptops and other connected products frequently move from one owner to another,” said Phonecheck international president Harby Garchay.

“This distinction is particularly relevant to IT asset disposition companies, mobile operators, insurers, refurbishers, marketplaces and enterprise customers handling large volumes of used devices.”

The company has previously achieved ADISA Assurance Level 4 certification for other products and device types, including Apple Watch, where the certification records the sanitisation result as “REUSE – Pass”.

Phonecheck is one of a number of companies to have achieved certification but says it leads the market in global device volumes.

The latest certification adds independent evidence to Phonecheck’s security claims as the mobile industry’s circular economy expands and increasing numbers of devices are refurbished and returned to the secondary market.

Harby Garchay will join other industry leaders at the Mobile News Circular Summit at Hilton London Bankside on 17 November, examining how AI is changing the refurbishing landscape.