Data sanitation, also known as data wiping or erasure, is the process of securely and irreversibly removing data from storage devices to protect sensitive information.
Methods of data sanitation include secure erasure, physical destruction, and compliance with regulations and standards.
Data sanitation is crucial when disposing of or repurposing storage devices to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
Many industries have specific regulations that require organizations to properly sanitize data before disposal to ensure data privacy and compliance.
Data sanitation methods vary based on the type of storage media and may involve multiple passes of overwriting to enhance security.
For example, a company decommissioning old computers performs data sanitation on the hard drives before donating or recycling the equipment.