Definitions[]
Purging information is
| “ | a media sanitization process that protects the confidentiality of information against a laboratory attack.[1] | ” |
| “ | [t]he removal of sensitive data from an AIS at the end of a period of processing, including from AIS storage devices and other peripheral devices with storage capacity, in such a way that there is assurance, proportional to the sensitivity of the data, that the data may not be reconstructed through open-ended laboratory techniques. An AIS must be disconnected from any external network before a purge.[2] | ” |
Purging of records is
| “ | [t]he removal and/or destruction of records because they are deemed to be of no further value or further access to the records would serve no legitimate government interest.[3] | ” |
Overview[]
There are three general methods of purging media:
- overwriting
- degaussing (for magnetic media only), and
- destruction.