So let’s say you’re the head of the Office of Special Counsel, a government agency charged with protecting whistleblowers (i.e. people who offer information of government wrongdoing). And let’s say you are being investigated yourself for "improperly retaliating against employees and dismissing whistleblower cases without adequate examination." The investigators ask to examine your computer hard drive. But they find it has been wiped clean. What’s your story?
Scott Bloch’s story is that some of his files were deleted by the tech from Geeks On Call who came to help him get rid of some pesky viruses. Okay, I’ll admit it’s suspect. Still it’s possible that the Geek accidentally erased a few files in the process of sanitizing his computer. But, according to the Wall St. Journal, Bloch "had his computer’s hard disk completely cleansed using a "seven-level" wipe: a thorough scrubbing that conforms to Defense Department data-security standards."
How much does Geeks On Call charge for a seven-level wipe? In Bloch’s case it was $1,149, but you can probably get it done for less if you don’t have a rush request. So next time you have a question about corporate or governmental document retention policies be sure to call the helpful folks at Geeks On Call.
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These guys remind me of a Computer repair company that gave every computer a complimentary format.
It would be nice. I read a story months ago concerning this very subject. Someone decided to test the different computer repair shops in the local area, LA I think it was, though I could be wrong on that point. What they were looking to discover was whether the mom n pop shops were any different than The Geek Squad and the like. They found that most computer places could not identify a faulty hard drive cable, and of course suggested costly repairs. Some were dishonest, some just inept.
I know your post was mostly comical (at least I found it funny) but I just thought that I would mention my company will wipe a drive (7-passes if you would like) for $60 to $120, depending on whether you brought it to us or we came onsite 🙂 This is kind of a rant on the Geeks on Call and Geek Squad, but I find most of the time these are tech’s who don’t know enough about what they are doing, that they have to join a club to get business. Its really too bad, cuz I would love to see a national chain of computer guys people could really trust. Tech’s that know what they are doing, and don’t bankrupt you.