At least it seems to be.

Actually, getting rid of information in such a way that no traces of it are accessible isn't quite that easy a task. Though a hard disk crash can cause a similar feeling as seeing one's house burn down, no tools are available for rematerializing the house, while recovering information from the hard drive, is a real possibility. In other words, if we really want to cover up our information, just deleting it isn't the most effective policy. An excellent article on the topic of getting rid of information (in The Atlantic), for instance, tells us that one of the lessons that should be learned from the Enron case is that

human beings are not as good at destroying things as we think we are.

A growing digital privacy industry has blossomed not only to protect government agencies or large corporations that are fearful that someone may be prying into their affairs, but also to soothe the fears of the run of the mill paranoid who doesn't want anyone to know that he or she has been visiting pornographic sites. History Protector, for instance, offers software that erases or covers up all traces of what you've been up to on the web for only $23 a year. But of course total protection is a myth. Sleuths can, for instance, plant devices that record keystrokes that later reveal what the person sitting at the computer has been up to. Again, for most of us the best policy is simply not worrying that someone is lurking in the wings.

Go to: You mean I can't erase it?, or
Go to: Thinking outloud, or
Go to: Now why would I want to do that?, or
Go to: on erasing an online forum.