this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024
19 points (91.3% liked)

Linux

8111 readers
44 users here now

Welcome to c/linux!

Welcome to our thriving Linux community! Whether you're a seasoned Linux enthusiast or just starting your journey, we're excited to have you here. Explore, learn, and collaborate with like-minded individuals who share a passion for open-source software and the endless possibilities it offers. Together, let's dive into the world of Linux and embrace the power of freedom, customization, and innovation. Enjoy your stay and feel free to join the vibrant discussions that await you!

Rules:

  1. Stay on topic: Posts and discussions should be related to Linux, open source software, and related technologies.

  2. Be respectful: Treat fellow community members with respect and courtesy.

  3. Quality over quantity: Share informative and thought-provoking content.

  4. No spam or self-promotion: Avoid excessive self-promotion or spamming.

  5. No NSFW adult content

  6. Follow general lemmy guidelines.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

hi,

My company gave me a laptop for work and after some time they will give it to another person when I quit the company so I want to make sure I don't leave any of my data behind so which command should I run to delete my home directory to delete all the data?

is it just rm -rf /home/myname

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] jemikwa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I'll be the naysayer and say you should not do this.

From an IT perspective, it's entirely unnecessary. You are potentially tampering with company property by destroying user data and files, even your own. What you make and do on this computer belongs to the company, so deleting your user folder could violate contracts you signed in onboarding. Say you neglect to upload a file to a shared drive and your boss needs it after you leave the company. If IT already wiped the computer, that's on them and not your fault. But if you proactively deleted these files and IT hadn't gotten around to giving the laptop to the next person, that could be actionable even after your employment is over.

From a practical perspective, your company's IT team should be wiping and reinstalling the OS in between users. Even on Windows and MacOS, this is standard practice and a non issue to anyone who has 30 minutes to spare during onboarding computer setup. If your company isn't doing this, that isn't your problem because again, this is company property. Don't use personal stuff on the laptop if you're concerned about the next person getting access to those files.