Evidence Eliminator is a
computer software program that runs on
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
operating systems at least through Windows 7.
The program
deletes hidden information from the user's
hard drive
A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...
that normal procedures may fail to delete.
Such "cleaner" or "eraser" programs typically overwrite previously allocated disk space, in order to make it more difficult to salvage deleted information.
In the absence of such overwrite procedures, information that a user thinks has been deleted may actually remain on the hard drive until that physical space is claimed for another use (i.e. to store another file). When it was offered for sale, the program cost between $20 early on
to $150 later.
History
Evidence Eliminator was produced by Robin Hood Software, based in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, up to version 6.04.
Controversy
There has been controversy surrounding Evidence Eliminator's marketing tactics. The company has used popup ads to market the program, including claims that the user's system was being compromised. In response, Robin Hood Software produced a "dis-information page" addressing these concerns. Radsoft, a competitor to Robin Hood, criticised its operation.
Legal
On June 1, 2005, Peter Beale, one of the "
Phoenix Four
Phoenix Venture Holdings (PVH), also known as the Phoenix Consortium, was an English company formed by four businessmen ( John Towers, Peter Beale, Nick Stephenson and John Edwards). Following BMW's break-up of the Rover Group a financially com ...
" used Evidence Eliminator to remove all trace of certain files from his PC the day after the appointment of DTI inspectors to investigate the collapse of
MG Rover
MG Rover Group was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consor ...
.
In a 2011 case, ''MGA v. Mattel'', a federal court found that a former employee used the program to delete information that he was accused of giving to MGA while employed at Mattel.
Judge: Bratz Jurors Can Hear Evidence on Computer Tampering
retrieved 11 June 2008.
References
{{Reflist
Windows security software
Anti-forensic software