Evidence Eliminator
Encyclopedia
Evidence Eliminator is a computer software program
for Microsoft Windows
computers that claims to delete
hidden information from the hard disk
which would otherwise have remained despite any 'normal' efforts to delete it. Such programs usually overwrite previously allocated disk space to make it more difficult to salvage information. Deleted information physically stays on the hard drive until its old space is claimed by another program.
Evidence Eliminator is produced by Robin Hood Software, based in Nottingham
, England
.
Usenet
with claims such as:
is typical of their approach. Evidence Eliminator has also been marketed through popup ads that made false claims and purported to show evidence that a user's system is vulnerable to spying, or that the user may be under investigation. Robin Hood Software claimed that these marketing methods were carried out by its sales affiliates and not by the company itself. At one point, Robin Hood Software produced a "dis-information page" which contained trenchant attacks on journalists who had written unfavourable reviews, which included accusations some reviews were "hate speech".
The MGA v. Mattel suit is an example of such a case, where an ex-employee (Carter Bryant) used it to hide information he was accused of giving to MGA while employed at Mattel.
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
computers that claims to delete
File deletion
File deletion is a way of removing a file from a computer's file system.The reasons for deleting files are#Freeing the disk space#Removing duplicate or unnecessary data to avoid confusion#Making sensitive information unavailable to others...
hidden information from the hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
which would otherwise have remained despite any 'normal' efforts to delete it. Such programs usually overwrite previously allocated disk space to make it more difficult to salvage information. Deleted information physically stays on the hard drive until its old space is claimed by another program.
Evidence Eliminator is produced by Robin Hood Software, based in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Controversy
Evidence Eliminator is perhaps best known through the over-hyped marketing of the program; spammingNewsgroup spam
Newsgroup spam is a type of spam where the targets are Usenet newsgroups.Spamming of Usenet newsgroups actually pre-dates e-mail spam. The first widely recognized Usenet spam was posted on 18 January 1994 by Clarence L. Thomas IV, a sysadmin at Andrews University...
Usenet
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
with claims such as:
is typical of their approach. Evidence Eliminator has also been marketed through popup ads that made false claims and purported to show evidence that a user's system is vulnerable to spying, or that the user may be under investigation. Robin Hood Software claimed that these marketing methods were carried out by its sales affiliates and not by the company itself. At one point, Robin Hood Software produced a "dis-information page" which contained trenchant attacks on journalists who had written unfavourable reviews, which included accusations some reviews were "hate speech".
Legal
In a 2005 DirecTV, Inc. v. Borow the court ruled that the use of Evidence Eliminator in and of itself constituted evidence of a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence of criminal actions.The MGA v. Mattel suit is an example of such a case, where an ex-employee (Carter Bryant) used it to hide information he was accused of giving to MGA while employed at Mattel.
External links
- Evidence Eliminator web site
- Archived copy of Evidence Eliminators Dis-Information page
- Archived copy of Forensic Investigators complaints about Evidence Eliminator
Critical Sites
- Evidence Eliminator Sucks Site
- Radsoft: The Evidence Eliminator Documents - The Evidence Eliminator Documents: A Consumer Warning
- Response by 'featured detractor'