Delete or destroy data and devices

Purpose

Part of proper data and device (asset) management is the secure deletion (sanitization) and destruction of data when it is no longer required for a project and not suitable for preservation or subject to retention or archiving requirements. 


Audience

faculty researchers Admin staff IT staff students


On this page


Initial considerations

Data retention; preservation or archiving.

  • Increasingly, there are legal, regulatory, and policy-based obligations or academic and public value to the long-term storage of data produced at the University.

Administrative data

Research data

Consult ethics protocols and other agreements.

  • Is your data or your obligation to securely delete it covered by other binding documents or contracts?

Human ethics or animal use protocol.

Agreements (Data sharing [DSA], material sharing [MTA], etc.)

  • Research contracts and agreements can include language around how data can be retained or how it should be deleted upon the conclusion of the contract, agreement, or project.

  • Contact the relevant contract and agreements office regarding sponsor or data provider requirements.

Determine your data's classification.

  • Classifying your data is the first step to knowing what methods are required to properly delete or destroy it.


What can I do?

For confidential, sensitive, restricted, or regulated data (Level 3 or 4)

Data is unrecoverable only if stored on an encrypted device.

Windows

  • Delete a file

    •  

  • Sanitize a device

    • See Cross-platform options. 

MacOS

  • Delete a file

  • Sanitize a device

      • Choose “most secure” under “security options”

Linux

  • Delete a file

  • Sanitize a device

Cross-platform

  • Sanitize a device

    • Your motherboard or drive manufacturer might provide a proprietary sanitization utility.

    •  

Cloud services

  • Contact provider regarding secure data deletion pipeline.

Physical data

  • Commercial shredding.

    • Ensure that you receive a Certificate of Destruction for your records.

    • Contact your local IT group for recommendations.

For non-sensitive, non-public data (Level 2)

Data could be recovered with difficulty.

Windows

  • Delete a file

  • Delete all data from a device

      • Do not perform a “quick format”.

MacOS

  • Delete a file

    • Delete file and empty Trash .

  • Delete all data from a device

      • Do not select “fastest” under “security options”.

Linux

  • Delete a file

  • Delete all data from a device

Cloud services

  • Contact provider regarding secure data deletion pipeline.

Physical data

  • Office or commercial shredding.

For public data (Level 1)

Data could be recovered with little difficulty.

Windows

  • Delete a file

    • Delete file and empty Recycle Bin.

  • Delete all data from a device

MacOS

  • Delete a file

    • Delete file and empty Trash .

  • Delete all data from a device

Linux

  • Delete a file

    • Delete file

  • Delete all data from a device

    •  and use 

Cloud services

  • Delete file within platform; wait for recovery period to expire.

Physical data

  • Recycle and/or shred, if appropriate.


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