Work in Progress: Secure Deletion on Cloud - a Constant Battle

The concept of deletion has existed since the early days of digital systems. In punch cards and magnetic tapes, deletion was achieved through re-punching or simple overwriting. However, as file systems got more complex, a different concept of deletion emerged: logical deletion. In many storage systems, deletion initially occurs as a logical process, where data is marked as “deleted” in the file system without being physically removed. This was probably acceptable when users had little knowledge of these systems, or when most systems were designed primarily for programmers rather than end users. However, with the advent of cloud computing, the digitalization of services, and the rise of data protection regulations, deletion has become a critical concern for both users and organizations. This work-in-progress paper explores cloud data deletion from an organizational perspective, presenting initial findings from a literature review, including a proposed taxonomy of existing deletion approaches and a critical analysis of current methods. Based on these insights and feedback from the research community, we aim to develop a comprehensive framework for data deletion that addresses key challenges and ensures effective data management for organizations.