[II2II]

I collected old machines about 20 years ago. It was very common to leave the data intact back then, even if it was being donated to a thrift store (where sale to an unknown party was assured) rather than being dropped at a recycle depot (where there was an assumption the machine would be destroyed).

There was no real dilemma regarding what to do with the data, it was wiped without peeking. I figured out that looking for interesting software was unethical early on, since launching some software will expose you to the prior owner's data automatically (e.g. databases) while browsing the directory structure for such software can open the perilous doors of curiosity. Not only that, but it is very rare for the data to require preservation. Most machines are intentionally disposed of. The cited case of a stolen computer is likely rare (though I suppose that depends upon one's sources and the market value of the machine).

I was recently given an old machine by someone I was barely acquainted with, data intact. He said he didn't mind if I looked, just destroy the data if I pass it on to someone else. I took the liberty to create bootable diskettes from the existing software since I haven't had a vintage computer in well over a decade. There was no question about how to handle the data though: even with permission, it had to be destroyed.