Erasing files in Ubuntu: other devices still see the files

[Thomas Cuthbert]

Dotan Cohen wrote:
> I have a 1GB USB memory stick. It had photos and text files stored on
> it, which I deleted on my Ubuntu (KDE) desktop machine. I then copied
> four video files to the stick and put it in my DVD player (which reads
> USB sticks as well). The photos and text files were still visible. I
> then removed the stick and placed in another Ubuntu (also KDE)
> machine, and all I could see were the video files.
>
> What gives? Why are these erased files still visible to other
> computers? And why can other Ubuntu machines not see the files? How
> can I be sure that sensitive documents that I've erased are in fact
> gone?
>
> Dotan Cohen
>
> http://what-is-what.com
> http://gibberish.co.il
> א-ב-ג-ד-ה-ו-ז-ח-ט-י-ך-כ-ל-ם-מ-ן-נ-ס-ע-ף-פ-ץ-צ-ק-ר-ש-ת
>
> A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
> Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
>   
Before you remove your flashdrive, empty the trashbin.
Hope this helps,
Tom Cuthbert.