In my previous article on PC Inspector File Recovery, I showed how easy it is to recover or “unerase” supposedly deleted files. Extra measures must be taken to completely erase a file.
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Imagine this scenario: There is a cracker (also known as a bad hacker) who has been stealing Internet access from open, unencrypted wireless networks in Manhattan. The FBI and CIA have been trying to track him for months to no avail. The cracker uses these wireless networks to facilitate his dark activities like stealing account information and transferring huge amounts of money into his bank account in Geneva, Switzerland, where his money is safe from the US government. One day, as he is quietly and unassumingly doing some routine criminal activities using the Starbucks Wifi network, he notices customers in Starbucks who are staring at him. He tries to play it cool and pretends not to notice. But in his head, he’s is certain that they have finally got him. Calmly, he performs a number of keystrokes on his laptop to run a program that deletes all the data so that there will be no evidence. The undercover agents carry out their operation and apprehend the criminal.
But will there be enough evidence to convict him? He did delete all of his data before they took him into custody.
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I’m not a fan of pirated music. I think it is morally wrong and dishonest stealing. Many people do not realize that pirated music is not just illegally downloaded MP3s from P2P networks and torrents. It is also music on unauthorized CD copies that friends burn for other friends. But I digress from my main topic.
When I download music I buy it on iTunes. Though the selection is much smaller then P2P networks like BearShare and Gnuttella, it is legal, the download speed is fast, and the quality is consistent. But there is one thing that I really despise about iTunes (and most other pay-per-download site), DRM protection. DRM stands for “Digital Rights Management.” It substantially limits rights on music. For example, the music cannot be played on more then a set number of computers (For iTunes, it is five.) and the music cannot be copied onto a CD more then three times. This DRM inhibits me from playing my songs on other media players. So, I am stuck with iTunes.
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