Why Regular Deletion Methods Don’t Cut Itįor most people, deleting their sensitive data is as simple as moving the folders or files you want gone into your Trash or Recycle Bin.īut this doesn’t do the trick at all, and it does nothing to erase any sensitive information on your hard drive.

Today, let’s look at how to actually erase a hard drive or solid state drive in ways that’ll ensure your data can’t be recovered by thieves. In short, there are lots of reasons why you need to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands.īut there’s a big difference between conventional deletion and proper deletion. This data – ranging from lewd pictures to the reports for your business’s next fiscal quarter – can be leaked to the wrong people relatively easily. Many identity thieves get the information needed to breach your bank account or rack up thousands of dollars in credit card debt from personal information on your computer.Įven worse, many people accidentally leave sensitive personal or business data on their laptops. Identity theft affects hundreds of thousands or millions of people every year in all major countries, particularly in one’s where theft of public property is also correspondingly high. The danger of leaving your data available for theft is very real. This allows anyone with the right tools or skills to recover your data, including your passwords or possible financial or credit card information. The truth is that most typical data deletion methods aren’t actually good enough to permanently erase your data from your hard drive. Of course, most people regularly “delete” their sensitive information, especially when they trade their computer and for anyone and try to participate in recycling programs… or do they? Can I Simply Erase the Data?ĭeleting files from physical storage is not as simple as deleting your Google history. The potential problems you might experience if your computer is stolen and your hard drive is skimmed can’t be understated. We live in an era where almost everyone has a laptop.

With all the hubbub surrounding data protection and privacy on the Internet, it’s easy to forget that there’s also a significant danger in leaving your data on your computer’s hard drive.

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