IF THERE is a valuable lesson from Edison Chen's sex photo scandal, experts say:

You have no one else to blame but yourself if you do not secure sensitive files.

Chen, 27, was caught in Hong Kong showbiz's biggest scandal so far this year when racy photos of him and other starlet friends were posted online. Police said the images were copied from Chen's laptop when he sent it for repair last year.

He is not the only celebrity victim of rogue technicians. The career of Thai singer Issaraporn Jandrasopark, better known as Anna from the band JAMP, ended in 2005 when a repairman copied her sex video from her boyfriend's computer.

Computer shops here say that Singaporeans generally do secure their computers.

PC Clinic in Sim Lim Square Kenneth Toh, 29, says most of his customers "use common measures to protect themselves by storing private stuff in an external hard drive".

Mr Muthiah Nagappan, 46, managing director of Worldwide Computer Services says seven out of 10 computers sent to his company are protected by at least a password. About 40 per cent of his clients use advanced measures like encryption.

Lawyers say victims can lodge a police report or apply for an injunction to stop unauthorised dissemination.

However, Lee & Lee Advocates & Solicitors' partner Julian Tay says the success on punishing the culprits depends on several factors.

He explains that one has to prove that the service centre is at fault, and that he has suffered justifiable damage.

Sales and marketing manager of an IT service provider, Mr Christopher Lim, 30, says most vendors require PC owners to sign a contract before servicing because "loss of information does occur".

Computer experts prefer to nip the problem in the bud, by ensuring that confidential files are secure in the first place. IT expert Prem Raj, 38, recommends users to remove their Hard Disk Drives (HDD) beforethe computers are serviced.

He explains that servicing centres "usually perform testing using their own HDDs anyway".

Mr Darric Hor, country manager of security solutions provider Symantec, says tech-savvy users should use encryption.

"This will prevent others from reading the hard disk in plain text because all data written to the hard disk is encrypted," says Mr Hor.

Still, digital forensic experts can access the confidential data even after all the appropriate measures are in place.

Says Mr Hor: "Your 'electronic footprint' is left behind in the form of browser history and cache in your Internet
browser, or temporary working files in word processors and other applications."

In such cases,Mr Raj says users can run a very strong magnet on the HDD, so that it erases any information that remains in the system.

As Fly Entertainment artiste Elizabeth Tan, 25, say : "What is personal to you should just stay personal to you."

KEEP FILES SECURE:

Copy your files into a portable storage device,such as a thumb drive or an external hard disk drive (HDD), and delete the originals in your computer. Set passwords on the HDD for extra security.

Encrypt your data with specialised software such as WinMagic's SecureDoc or TrueCrypt 5.0, to prevent others from reading the hard disk in plain text.

Use low-level formatting software like EraserDisk or Paragon?s Disk Wiper to completely erase files.

Run a very strong magnet or a degausser over the HDD. Fujitsu?s Mag EraSURE can also permanently remove information on magnetically recorded media.

Remove the HDD before sending your computer for repairs, if the problem does not lies with it.

LEGAL RECOURSE:

If your files are inevitably leaked to the public, you should lodge a report with the police, or apply for injunction to stop the circulation of the information.

You have a higher chance in winning a case against the service centre provided that:

You did not sign a contract that waives off liability of the service technician in the event of loss of information or leakage?

You can prove that the service centre is the culprit in mishandling private information.

The leak has caused damage to your reputation or finances.