A Japanese research group at Chuo University have developed a memory system within a Solid State Drive (SSD) wherein every individual file stored in the drive can be set to corrupt and destroy itself within its own time.
This technology is particularly revolutionary because the drive still functions seamlessly without completely destroying itself, while specific files can be removed and wiped clean, ensuring maximum security and safeguarding user privacy, according to a report in Gizmodo.
A new, proprietary self-corrupting tech
The research team led by professor Ken Takeuchiis came up with the novel idea by a specific process wherein:
- The team notice of the fact that the probability of errors in flash memory used in a Solid State Drive is highly likely and predictable.
- In realizing this, the team discarded the usual routine of dispatching error correction schemes to circumvent the faults in flash memory.
- Instead, they intentionally introduced small, subtle errors when a file is being written to the drive.
- This in-turn starts a process wherein the data (over time) degrades until it’s completely corrupted and unreadable.
The new technology was introduced in further detail at an electronics conference that ran from June 15 to 19 in Kyoto City, Japan. The thesis was formally presented as “Privacy-Protection Solid State Storage (PP-SSS) System: Automatic Lifetime Management of Internet-Data’s Right to be Forgotten.”
The thesis added that data requiring a high level of security and privacy can be destroyed after a certain passage of time while other data in the same drive can be stored for a longer period of time.
In an age wherein Google is actively being mandated and sanctioned by several European privacy watch-dogs, the technology is certain to be looked into by pro-privacy advocates to push solid state drive manufacturers and vendors to adopt it.
If the technology is implemented in future consumer electronics, your used laptop collecting dust upon a shelf and left behind for a new owner will ensure that your data is deleted after a certain period of time, maximizing your privacy and data security.