deletion
What It Means
Deletion is the permanent removal or destruction of data, files, or digital assets from a system. When something is deleted, it's intended to be completely eliminated so it cannot be recovered or accessed again.
Why Chief AI Officers Care
Proper deletion is critical for data privacy compliance, as regulations like GDPR require organizations to permanently remove personal data upon request. Failed deletion can lead to regulatory fines, security breaches from lingering sensitive data, and legal liability if data that should have been destroyed is later compromised.
Real-World Example
A healthcare AI system processes patient medical records for diagnosis assistance. When a patient requests their data be removed under privacy laws, the system must delete not just the original records but also any cached copies, backup files, and derived data used to train machine learning models.
Common Confusion
People often confuse deletion with simply moving files to a recycle bin or marking data as 'inactive.' True deletion means the data is permanently destroyed and unrecoverable, not just hidden or archived.
Industry-Specific Applications
See how this term applies to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, tech, and insurance.
Healthcare: In healthcare, deletion refers to the permanent removal of patient data, medical records, or PHI from systems, typically...
Finance: In finance, deletion refers to the permanent removal of financial records, transaction data, or customer information in ...
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Includes:
- 6 industry-specific applications
- Relevant regulations by sector
- Real compliance scenarios
- Implementation guidance
Technical Definitions
NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology
"Of an <X>, the action of destroying an instantiated <X>."Source: IEEE_Soft_Vocab
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