British IT leaders are struggling to get to grips with regulations governing the disposal of electrical equipment, with nearly three-quarters admitting they had no idea that legislation was in force.

According to a study by data recovery vendor Kroll Ontrack, 73 per cent of IT professionals were unaware of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations which finally came into force in the UK in January 2007.

“The fact that so many companies still haven’t got to grips with the WEEE directive could spell danger,” said Phil Bridge, managing director of Kroll Ontrack. “In addition to failing to comply with regulations, companies could also be putting sensitive data at risk.”

The research indicated that half of all businesses use some form of data deletion technology to ensure end-of-life equipment does not contain sensitive information.

But Bridge suggested much of the deletion technology being used was not fit for purpose.

“The data deletion market is saturated with solutions that promise to delete data. However, the effects of many products can easily be reversed by computer experts, leaving data vulnerable to attack or misuse. Using a Government or Infosec accredited product is the only way to ensure delete really means permanently deleted, unrecoverable,” he said.