Would it be possible to wipe some files off the PC without leaving any traces?
this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2026
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Anon was probably downloading csam
I don't think that's a logical assumption at all. But something to keep in mind. Especially now, with the administration going after journalists, leakers, and soon if not already critics, people that make fun of them, that criticize Israel, etc.
They would like us to assume everyone whose computer they are seizing is looking at child porn. They could also frame people for that.
What did anon even do to be on the radar, this is just not credible. They would never show up for a chat if that was the case, they would collect evidence quietly.
So if there is anything on your computer, deleting it just destroys the file directory to it, they can find it still, you have to delete everything, then rewrite over it with new information.
Drills, big magnets, hammers etc… work too
Mircrowave.
Just take out anything LiON prior to nuking, and as much pure metal housing as you can.
And also plan on getting a new microwave.
And have a fire extinguisher on hand.
Fake: cops obeying the law and following due process? Really?
Gay: Anon clearly took “be gay, do crimes” seriously… too bad he didn’t take his opsec as seriously…
Short answer, do NOT destroy the computer or flee. That is textbook obstruction and will turn a sketchy visit into a criminal case overnight. You were right to refuse a search without a warrant, keep doing that, but destroying evidence or running wiping tools is a dumb panic move.
Get a lawyer immediately, even a public defender if money is tight. Record everything from the visit now, names, badge numbers, what they said, time stamps, take photos of any paperwork or footprints. Do not log into accounts, do not run cleanup software, and if possible disconnect the machine from the internet and power it down until your lawyer tells you what to do. Turning it off is different from erasing stuff.
If the cops come back with a warrant, comply on your lawyer's advice. If you're honestly worried the allegation involves really serious crimes, get counsel fast, because those carry mandatory procedures and you need someone who knows how to handle evidence and interviews. And for the future, yes encrypt your drives and keep recovery keys offline, but that's after you sort this with legal help.
It is very arguable it would be a crime to wipe a computer with only the police asking to warrantless search it. It's a crime to destroy any evidence of a crime so I guess there is that.
They have no evidence there was a crime though. I don't doubt they would charge it, but a jury wouldn't likely convict because it's a bullshit charge. You are under no obligation to incriminate yourself with your own evidence no matter what the police and prosecutors say.
I like how much lemmy hates AI yet this AI bot has 37 updoots
Oh the pain of it all :(
IANAL, but I think it's only a crime if it's destroyed after a warrant has been issued.
I'm very glad you're not a lawyer.
https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/blog/destruction-of-evidence-charge/
This says you just need to know what you were destroying was evidence, which Anon clearly does.
If the cops actually had anything real on him, they could get the warrant over the phone while stalling you at the door, or even storm your place and get it later.
And even if they don't get it, no cop can get in trouble for the raid if they "suspect" you might destroy evidence, and anything they find can still be used in court.
It completely invalidates your 4th amendment rights but congress felt this was needed to protect you against "terrorists" 25 years ago.
Plus if police "believe" they are following the law, they are allowed to use the fruit from the poison tree, for decades now, ever since The Fear of the Others in the crime wave in the 80's and 90's gave them license to cancel the Bill of Rights.
And here's where we introduce you to this magical term called full disk encryption!
And if you use BitLocker, do NOT backup your recovery key to the cloud!
https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-reportedly-turned-over-bitlocker-encryption-keys-to-the-fbi-2000713550
Print out out, give it to a friend, don't mention it via electronic means (email, text, Snapchat, YouTube, and so on...)
And if you use BitLocker, don't!
Even better is to memorize it.
Hide it in a poem in a leather bound book at the end of a trap-filled dungeon.
Now when you say a trap-filled dungeon. What exactly do you mean?
Ill be honest, this is clearly the best idea out there for passwords safety
This person should also turn off their computer and remove the RAM so it's zeroed out if it gets siezed.
This is where I think NFC may finally be useful. If cops show up, I slide my phone by a hidden NFC tag, and an http request is sent to my desktop machine. Everything incriminating is wiped and the computer is turned off, before the cops can walk to the room.
Full disk encryption doesn't help much if the pc is running anyway since the key will be in memory
How will they carry the running pc if it’s not a laptop?
They have a battery attached to flat wires. When you give a couple millimeters of room from the plug, they insert the flat wires and the computer will be powered from the battery.
If the computer is logged in, they have a USB device that mimics a mouse. It makes the mouse pointer move back and forth to prevent it from going to sleep or the screen saver.
They use forensic tools to clone the RAM before moving it. Probably depends on exploits so whether it will work may depend on your OS, but they have access to the hardware so there are a lot of possibilities.
Is this actually practically achievable or mostly theoretical in a lab? Is it confirmed that the cops have actually managed to do this?
You can do this for servers. Desktops would be no problem
At least in Germany, I would be surprised if the cops could point to the RAM inside a computer. They will not open it before they take it with them.
Careful. There are levels to it, and from stories that I heard, those levels don't always communicate with each other. If you get the regular "normal cops", then no, they won't know anything more than the average joe about computers.
If get in deep enough shit, you might get a visit from the specialised cops, either the state or federal variety, and those guys know what they are doing.
If it can be proven you did that, that's gonna look real bad in court.
If it's proven that you did it, you are getting locked up anyway.
In 99% it is better to not say anything or indict yourself
Edit: ah, misunderstood you, with "did that" you mean turn off the computer, not whatever crime you are accused of. I'd still disagree, but only based on anecdotes, go ask a lawyer, I guess
You can get in legal trouble for turning off your PC?
There's no law against googling how to dispose of a body, but if you do, and you're a suspect in a murder, it's a real bad look for you.
Same story here. Probably legal, but definitely not a good look.
Turning off your PC makes you look bad? What the fuck.
Anon shouldn't have fucked with the CSAM
- Hammer.
- "my computer just broke. Had to get a new one"
Sounds like time to wipe PC and install a clean OS