Patent ID: 7895662

Claim:
A method for the secure remote deletion of pre-flagged data stored within a data processing system, the method comprising the steps of: executing a flag routine, including: (i) receiving a flag, initiated by a user of the data processing system, of at least one datum for possible future deletion; and (ii) storing the datum in a memory of the data processing system in a manner indicating that the datum is to be deleted in response to execution of a data deletion routine, wherein the manner of indicating that the datum is to be deleted in response to execution of the data deletion routine includes a procedure selected from a group of procedures consisting of: (a) storing the datum in a special memory portion of the memory of the data processing system dedicated to storing only data indicated as datum to possibly be deleted in the future in response to execution of the data deletion routine; (b) storing the datum in the memory of the data processing system as a special file type, wherein the file type indicates that the datum may possibly be deleted in the future in response to execution of the data deletion routine; (c) storing the datum in a specific folder of the memory of the data processing system dedicated to storing only data that may possibly be deleted in the future in response to execution of the data deletion routine; and (d) storing the datum in the memory of the data processing system with an indication indicating that the datum may possibly be deleted in the future in response to execution of the data deletion routine; receiving a deletion trigger initiated by the user of the data processing system; executing an authorization routine authorizing remote deletion of the at least one flagged datum; and executing the data deletion routine in response to receiving the deletion trigger from the user of the data processing system, and if remote deletion is authorized, the data deletion routine deleting the at least one flagged datum.