this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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Nothing sinister, we just don't delete what we say we delete. Instead we keep it in your profile to feed the algorithms and set the "deleted" flag to make you think it's gone.
I mean, to be completely fair, that's how data storage works.
We cannot really just make data disappear, so we let it get overwritten instead
Proper deletion should include writing all ones or all zeroes to the block but y'all be lazy as fuck.
Only necessary on the ol spinning rust, with SSDs not only is it completely unnecessary, but it also burns extra writes.
Spinny's store data magnetically on the platter with 1s and 0s, SSDs store data on the NAND as a held charge. If there's a charge in the block it's a 1 if there's no charge it's a 0.
With spinny's, a file gets marked as "deleted" but the residual magnetic 1s and 0s will remain on the platter until eventually overwritten
With SSDs a file gets marked "deleted" and within no more than a few minutes TRIM comes along and ensures the charge on the NAND is released for that data, there's no residuals to worry about like with spinny's and is in fact necessary to ensure decent lifespans.
I want a spinny as a pet now. Sounds cute.
Wow, the SSD can hold the charges perfectly while unplugged for ages? Amazing.
In a post apocalyptic world where I am in charge of building a storage drive and I’m given all the instructions and fabs, the world is going without storage.
Yup. Before flash memory, devices like video game cartridges which had game saves actually needed a battery to power the memory holding the saves.
But wouldn't TRIM be the deleting he is requesting? Removing the charges would be setting all the bits in that block to the same value.
That just makes no sense to do, modern storage is write limited. As long as you used encryption the old bits mean nothing to anyone but you.
SSDs are. Big storage is not using SSDs.
I’m not an expert, but wouldn’t proper deletion be writing random ones and zeroes to the block? Multiple times?
I don't think it's been shown to make a difference.
It certainly feels more deleted…
It was sort of true in the past, but not anymore. I think writing random data once is probably fine, even for most state level actors.
yeah cuz for normal, day-to-day use that's exponentially slower the more you're deleting
You can do that when you wipe something.
Yeah, such as sensitive photos
Nitpick: it should be fuzzed with random 0s and 1s.