Should new computer technology really allow data to self-destruct?
ScienceDaily (July 22, 2009) — Computers have made it virtually impossible to leave the past behind. College Facebook posts or pictures can resurface during a job interview. A lost cell phone can expose personal photos or text messages. A legal investigation can subpoena the entire contents of a home or work computer, uncovering incriminating, inconvenient or just embarrassing details from the past. The University of Washington has developed a way to make such information expire. After a set time period, electronic communications such as e-mail, Facebook posts and chat messages would automatically self-destruct, becoming irretrievable from all Web sites, inboxes, outboxes, backup sites and home computers. Not even the sender could retrieve them. “If you care about privacy, the Internet today is a very scary place,” said UW computer scientist Tadayoshi Kohno. “If people understood the implications of where and how their e-mail is stored, they might be more careful or not use it as often
Self Destructing Laptop Protects Data 4:38pm UK, Wednesday February 20, 2008 A laptop that can self destruct in order to protect sensitive data has been developed. Backstopp, from British company, Virtuity, has been developed using intelligent security technology, which detects when a laptop has been moved from an assigned area and blocks access to data. The software monitors the laptop continuously, determining its whereabouts. If the laptop is tracked outside the zone established by its owner, the software can activate a self destruct message, removing or destroying data. It could also use internal webcams to take photographs as the laptop is being moved, helping identify the culprit. Backstopp aims to protect against data theft and uses wireless communication to keep check on the security of laptops, millions of which are purchased in Britain every year. David Brooker, Virtuity MD, told Sky News Online he thought of the concept when watching a news report about a bank employee who l
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