Shredder Programs

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Software to address this problem is known as a shredder program. When a file is deleted, these programs will repeatedly rewrite random data over that area to eliminate any traces of what was there previously. The Department of Defense, for example, requires the use of such programs and that an area be overwritten at least seven times. Shredder programs can be valuable when getting rid of old computers or sending people reused floppy disks; otherwise, you may inadvertently disclosure confidential information. If a shredder program is used, it must be used on a regular basis and set up to handle all of the extra and temporary copies of files that Windows creates. Such programs, however, can go too far; one is titled the "Evidence Eliminator." Since word leaked out about the document shredding done by Enron and Arthur Andersen, the law is getting tighter about such things as preserving corporate e-mail for three years. Interestingly, at Enron, all the shredding proved to be in vain as the data was discoverable in electronic form.

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