Re: PATCH - ext2fs privacy (i.e. secure deletion) patch

the grugq
2004-02-04T00:36:15Z

Hey,

> Perhaps this should still be controlled by (chattr(1)) [its already
> documented, just not yet implemented].
>
> When a file with the `s' attribute set is deleted, its blocks
> are zeroed and written back to the disk.
>
> ...at which point config option is not really neccessary.
>

You're not the first person to mention this to me, Pádraig, brought this
up on the day I posted. I certainly thing the 's' options should be
implemented, however for a privacy patch I believe that the user
shouldn't have to intervene to ensure a file is securely erased. It
makes more sense to me, as a lazy person, that the file system should be
set to always remove the file content... that way the user doesn't need
to get involved.

All that said, the user's content is something that the user could be
considered responsible for erasing themselves. The meta-data is the part
of the file which they dont' have access to, so having privacy
capabilities for meta-data erasure is a requirement. User data
erasure... I can take it or leave it. I think it should be automatic if
at all, but I'm not really that bothered about it.

peace,

--gq