To keep their loyal users and their information safe and sound, it's Google's policy to round up old drives and destroy them on-site. Thousands of gigabytes can pile up, like a microscopic metropolis.  Photo 13 of 15 in A Rare Glimpse of Google's Data Centers by Skylar Bergl

A Rare Glimpse of Google's Data Centers

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To keep their loyal users and their information safe and sound, it's Google's policy to round up old drives and destroy them on-site. Thousands of gigabytes can pile up, like a microscopic metropolis.