[Bug-fileutils] Possible bug in shred

[Jim Dabell]

Unless I'm mistaken (believe me, it's a strong possibility :), there is
little point to the -z option to overwrite a shredded file with zeroes
"to hide shredding".  Surely, if you cannot hide normal data with a zero
pass, you cannot hide the shredding pattern with a zero pass?  Is this
just adding another layer of difficulty for the person retrieving the
data (making shredded data less immediately obvious)?  If so, then I
think that something should be mentioned in the documentation saying
that this will not actually prevent somebody from telling if you have
shredded something (after all, stupid laws about encryption might extend to 
shredding in the future).


Jim