191–200 of 381 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Our results lead to three conclusions: First, built-in commands are effective, but manufacturers sometimes implement them incorrectly. [...] We tested ATA commands for sanitizing an entire SSD, [...]. We find that while most implementations of the ATA commands are correct, others contain serious bugs that can, in some cases, result in all the data remaining intact on the drive." M. Wei, L.M. Grupp, F.E. Spada, S. Sw…
Do you believe that mobile handsets are communicating with their embedded storage devices using ATA?
No matter what protocol they are using to communicate, it is quite conceivable that the erase commands are not properly implemented. In fact, as the comment you're replying to pointed out, there have been many devices found historically which do not properly implement erase commands. Since you can't(*) bypass the flash controller and see what's actually in the flash, there is no way to verify whether or not the data has in fact been deleted.
Just encrypt your device. It's so damn simple.
(* Yes of course you can desolder the memory or hook up to it directly and bypass the flash controller that way, like the authors of the paper in GP, but that's far beyond the capabilities of even the average HNian)
How do you disable your old phones especially those those that do not work (due to shattered screen mostly) before giving them up for recycling or buyback? I am always worried someone will fix and misuse my old phone.
Factory reset Android will securly wipe the data.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s not the victim’s fault. But still… it’s only prudent to take precautions.
Prudence is certainly a choice one can make, but in no way should it be recommended or required. Google is supposed to be trusted with the world's emails, photos, and other Android data backups. If it is necessary to take precautions against Google misusing data, then that cuts to the heart of their business model, and is a material threat to consumers that they should be informed about.
risk = probability X severity.
If something is a big deal to you, take precautions, even if it's unlikely, because the severity is high. This is why we take huge precaution with nuclear plants, because the likelyhood of an accident is low, but the severity is high.
If you have nude on your phone, severity is high. The probability that googles will mess with you is low, but it's good advice to tell you to protect yourself.
I've worked in these contract cellphone repair/refurbishment facilities many years ago, the big warehouses where telecoms and manufacturers send these warranty phones to be triaged and repaired, and let me tell you, something like this is not surprising at all. Most of the people there did good work, but all it takes is one. Personally I'd never send my phone in to repair, and I'm skittish about buying any refurbishe…
To be fair, when sending a Pixel for reparations, Google very clearly and explicitly asks to factory_reset the phone. I personally didn't reset it when I sent my Pixel 3 to fix the charging port because my Pixel was fully encrypted. All Pixels are encrypted by default as long as you have any kind of lock method enabled (PIN, password, shape...). I don't really understand how this person got his files in cleartext and…
We need to educate people on how to secure the data on their phones so that even the manufacturer cannot reach it. And if that is not possible for a particular device, that should be clearly understood so people can make an informed choice about what smartphone they use. Can't just tell people 'do not put nudes on your phone' because while it's good advice, it misses the point. And, of course, whoever does something…
> how to secure the data on their phones so that even the manufacturer cannot reach it If that were possible, the FBI would shut it down.
Wait! Text was deleted. How can we know this is legit?
Unddit is pretty good to read deleted or moderated posts as long as the deleted text was up long enough - https://www.unddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/r632w5/sent_my...
We need to educate people on how to secure the data on their phones so that even the manufacturer cannot reach it. And if that is not possible for a particular device, that should be clearly understood so people can make an informed choice about what smartphone they use. Can't just tell people 'do not put nudes on your phone' because while it's good advice, it misses the point. And, of course, whoever does something…
No. We don't need to "educate" people on how to magically dodge evil behavior. We need to punish the evil behavior. Like you said in your last sentence.
We do punish the evil behavior. And yet this still allegedly occurred. So perhaps the solution is making sure the evil behavior isn't possible in the first place? Just maybe?
The RMA instructions should include using android.com/find to lock and wipe an inoperable device if it ever gets turned on again. https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6160491?hl=en
I'd assume it can be done on some device id basis, so 1) Check in phone 2) Initiate wipe 3) put in service tech queue