We live in a digital world. regrettably, lots of criminal defense lawyers simply do not understand the details of technology. How data is transmitted, how it is stored, how it is archived, & where it might be. Call a knowledgeable computer crimes lawyer Raleigh about this issue at (919) 352-9411.

What's more, lots of criminal lawyers do not understand how the details of how data is stored, archived, searched, & maintained on the net. they don't understand how to advise clients who come to them with cases that involve the use of computers.

One thing I do need to mention: Some people who call me report to me that they have material that may be incriminating on their personal computers. they say "well, I wiped the harddrive clean" or "I formatted the harddrive."

& since so lots of cases these days deal with computers - whether they are financial crimes cases, cases involving the information that may be on Facebook or Twitter, or cases that may involve chat networks such protocols as IRC, ICQ, Jabber, or cases that involve the storage of files in the cloud or on harddrives - it's crucially important if you're being inquired in to or accused of a crime that involves the use of computer technology that you discover a lawyer who is familiar with all of these details, from TCP/IP protocols to cloud-based computing, nice Privacy (PGP) encryption program, to copyright infringement issues involving ripping & sharing through Peer-to-Peer networks & through BitTorrent.

Here's what I would recommend. If you have material that you would not like to be found again, you can take apart the harddrive with a screwdriver, & smash the plates inside. Or take a drill, & drill through the harddrive in multiple places.

A harddrive that's been cleaned by disk erasing program has not been cleaned. That's because, depending on the type of program used, either all or fragments of the incriminating material can be left on the harddrive. Some disk-drive wiping program merely changes the "Boot Sector" of the harddrive which is like a table of contents for the harddrive. It does not delete the whole drive, so the table of contents may be erased, but not the actually incriminating materials.

Do not donate the harddrive. Do not give the harddrive to Best Buy for them to wipe neat. Do not give the harddrive to friends for their use. Do not leave the harddrive in a closet. Do not throw the harddrive in the trash without thoroughly & physically smashing the harddrive.

Or, as Sigourney Weaver said in the movie Aliens, "Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be positive."

Raleigh criminal lawyer Damon Chetson helps individuals charged with crimes - misdemeanors, felonies, & DWI & traffic charges - in Raleigh, Cary, Apex & other communities in Wake County & the Research Triangle of North Carolina. DWI Raleigh lawyer Damon Chetson is available day or night, weekdays or weekends. Call him at (919) 352-9411 day or night.