Anti-shredder aims to stick spy files back together
Computer program should re-assemble notes from the East German Stasi.
A research team in Germany has developed a computer-software system to piece together some 45 million pages of secret police files ripped into 600 million pieces. The files were torn up nearly 18 years ago by panicking agents of communist East Germany's dreaded State Security Service (Stasi).
Comments
1) Use a narrow strip crosscut shredder,
2) wet the collected output, mix, compact.
Wet shredded paper is a terrific mess. Freeze drying and putative unentanglement is frustrated by adding a little glue. Given a government budget, add cellulase to the water.
Posted by: Uncle Al | May 10, 2007 04:08 PM
We have been working for years making technology which makes it impossible to reassemble destroyed electronic media. Reconstructing paper which was shredded by the Stasi, is similar to the Ayatollah hiring carpet weavers to reassemble classified paper when they took over the American Embassy in Teheran in 1979. 300,000 pages on one CD-ROM! 1 million on DVD. 20 million on holographic DVD. We better get this one right.
Posted by: Dr. Roger Hutchison | May 11, 2007 12:57 AM
Another useful tip if you have stuff on CD that you NEVER want anyone to see again (even NSA etc), is to pop the CD in a microwave oven and zap it for 3-5 seconds. The entire surface will "craze" and no technology on earth can get the data back.
Posted by: Professor Simon Shepherd | May 11, 2007 09:45 AM
Perhaps pick a mountain in Nevada and just bury it there?
Posted by: mike hopkin | May 11, 2007 12:12 PM
Why go ALL that length ? Just BURN (Incenarate) the goddam offending papers and forget it !!!! Doesn't that make sense?
Posted by: ARVIND JOSHI | May 13, 2007 04:18 PM
Are Papers a Problem in Your Office?
Do you have too much paper clutter? From junk mail to school papers, newspapers, and bills, it can pile up quickly. Do you have trouble finding important papers?
Posted by: sam | May 25, 2007 11:27 AM
I liked the paper shredder thing at the end. This was hilarious.
Posted by: Arthur mcbeth | September 13, 2007 06:11 AM
I worry, someday we will have gadgets like that software which re-arranges the millions of pieaces, that will re-gathered the shredded confidential documents?
Does it mean, it's not more safe to use shredders?
Posted by: Mcgill | September 30, 2007 10:54 AM
In today's world people use computers very frequently. In this era of science and technology there are hardly any offices left in the world today which are not dependent on computers. To maintain the efficiency of the work being done it is important that the computer systems being used remain up and running all the time.
Posted by: spyshreddertony | May 30, 2008 12:29 PM
Bringing up and sticking back the pieces of 18 years old secrets, must be having some real reason behind it. Good luck with the work
Posted by: shredders | August 15, 2008 11:01 AM
In the modern age there is use of computer every where. In every office there is paper shredder which reduces the tension by destroying the confidential documents
Posted by: File Shredders | March 21, 2009 09:28 AM