Selling or recycling an old smartphone? Do a factory reset first

If you’re trying to get rid of your old electronics, it’s important that you make sure to fully wipe all of your personal data from the device.

But as computer security researchers from the University of Guelph recently discovered, many people who are selling or recycling electronics aren’t doing this properly. 

The team contacted 131 people who had advertised their device online for sale and found that although a majority had used a factory reset to clear their personal information from the device, more than one-third had not properly cleared their devices. And many had not deleted the data at all. Read more 

How the COVID-19 crisis shaped our shopping habits

Nearly a year and a half into the pandemic, there’s a clearer picture of how the COVID-19 crisis has shaped our shopping habits — and how we respond when public health restrictions are eased.

Metro Inc.’s third-quarter earnings, reported Wednesday, largely mirrored results posted earlier this summer by competitors Empire Co. Ltd. and Loblaw Companies Ltd.

At the onset of the pandemic, all three saw sales soar as shoppers stockpiled everything prompting shortages of items such as flour and toilet paper. Many Canadians also opted for conventional full-service grocery stores rather than discount supermarkets and bought more items per visit as part of a one-stop-shop effort to reduce their grocery trips.

But the opposite trend is now emerging as the vaccine rollout continues. Read more

Ottawa promises vaccine passport for international…