Patent ID: 11609619

Abstract:
A processor-enabled method of deleting data of a user on an electronic device of the type having a processor, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a display, and a user interface, includes the steps of A) providing a software application resident in the non-volatile memory of the electronic device, B) running the software application so that the software application is in a standby mode, and c) in an emergency situation, the user using the user interface to activate a data destruction routine of the software application. The data destruction routine performs the steps: 1) turning off the display of the electronic device, or alternately displaying all black pixels on the display, 2) overwriting the data of the user in the non-volatile memory with decoy data, and 3) initiating the factory-reset module. The decoy data may be all zeros, all ones, or random values, for example.