What is the free space erase feature, and how good is it?

The free space erase feature in iShredder™ is designed to securely clean the empty, unused blocks on your device's storage. This is crucial for ensuring that deleted files cannot be recovered using data recovery software. Without this feature, even after deleting files or photos, remnants of the data can remain on your storage, making it possible for someone with the right tools to reconstruct all or parts of those deleted files.

When you delete a file or photo, the operating system typically just removes the reference to that data, marking the space as available for new data. However, the actual information remains on the storage medium until it is overwritten by new data. The free space erase feature in iShredder™ fills these unused blocks with random data, ensuring that the remnants of deleted files are thoroughly wiped and cannot be reconstructed.

Benefits of Using the Free Space Erase Feature:

Enhanced Security: By securely wiping the free space, you protect your personal and sensitive data from being recovered by unauthorized individuals. This is especially important when you are disposing of or selling your device, as it ensures that all previously deleted files are permanently erased.

Data Privacy: Regularly using the free space erase feature can help maintain your privacy, making sure that any sensitive information you’ve deleted stays deleted and cannot be accessed by others.

Things to Keep in Mind:

No Additional Free Space is Created: It's important to note that wiping the free space does not free up any additional storage on your device. The process works by writing a temporary file that fills up all available free space, overwriting any remnants of deleted data. Once this is done, iShredder™ deletes the temporary file, leaving your storage capacity unchanged.

Limitations of Free Space Erase: While highly effective, the free space erase feature does have some limitations due to the way operating systems manage data:

• Already Overwritten Files: If a deleted file has already been overwritten by another file, there is no need to overwrite it again. The free space erase process will not affect these blocks.
• Complex Storage Scenarios: In cases where multiple files have been written and deleted over time, some remnants might have been overwritten by other data before running iShredder™, and thus, iShredder™ may not erase these specific remnants.

The free space erase feature in iShredder™ is a powerful tool for ensuring that deleted data remains unrecoverable, significantly enhancing your data security and privacy. While it cannot guarantee the erasure of every single deleted file due to the inherent limitations of how data is stored and overwritten, it provides a robust level of protection against most common data recovery techniques. Regular use of this feature helps safeguard your personal information, giving you peace of mind.