Isn?t eBay great? Millions of people in the UK have used the world's largest online car boot sale to pick up a bargain.

And this week, we reveal just what else you can find there - security details for a few multinational companies, school reports, and some very personal information.

You could understand if private individuals who aren't particularly IT-literate weren't aware of the risks of selling used PC hardware online without properly wiping the hard disk.

But companies, schools and universities have well-publicised guidelines that are meant to ensure this sort of situation is avoided. There are no excuses.

The investigation by Glamorgan University that revealed the scale of the problem has surely only scratched the surface. These were randomly selected purchases from eBay - there was no targeting of suspect devices.

The implications are widespread: breaches of the Data Protection Act; legal liabilities for organisations revealing potentially libellous information; not to mention industrial espionage or the worst-case scenario of children's personal details being leaked. And the risks are only going to increase.

Later this year, the European Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) becomes law, forcing organisations to dispose of old PCs in an environmentally-friendly manner.

It will be vital that IT directors ensure their used PCs are cleaned of all data. Use reputable and approved suppliers - why not send your PCs to our Computer Aid campaign to be wiped and re-used in the developing world? Just be sure that every machine leaving the company is clean.

Add to that the growing threat from organised crime gangs looking for any opportunity to steal personal details that would allow them to hack into computer systems, and this becomes an issue that IT directors must take seriously.

It sounds like a bit of a laugh - one of your rivals' passwords turning up on eBay, what an idiot! That would never happen to you. Would it?