6 ms·

Destroyer.io

13 points by markmassie 12y ago

pjlegato 12y ago
Cool idea, but how do we know that destroyer.io itself is not an elaborate phishing front?
- tlack 12y ago
  It would be great if you could pay an additional $10 and get a video confirmation of the destruction (they could start with a closeup zoom on the serial number).
  - alexnucci 12y ago
    Hi, I'm Alex, founder of Destroyer.io. I was just tipped about this HN thread, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 Yes, that's a great idea, and it's the next step. We plan on having a live video feed of our facility. We also want to record how each order is destroyed, and show the drive owner see how we destroyed their drive. The site was just opened up today. As we grow and get feedback, we'll adapt and add more features to our service.
- Justsignedup 12y ago
  Now that I know where hard drives are getting shipped, I can intercept. Yet another place single point of failure.
  - alexnucci 12y ago
    Hi, I'm Alex, founder of Destroyer.io. I was just tipped about this HN thread, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 We don't expect this to be a problem. The interceptor would be breaking several laws. Even if you aside that breaking the law is not a problem for them, there are far easier and less expensive ways to access your data. Like accessing it through your internet connection or breaking into your house. Either way, all of your guys' concerns are valid, and I understand your point of view. We'll grow and improve our messaging + service as time goes by, that's for sure. Thanks for sharing your opinion. Cheers!
    - yellowapple 12y ago
      > The interceptor would be breaking several laws. The interceptor is already breaking a whole bunch of laws regardless. I don't think "oh no, intercepting this hard drive would be illegal! I should find another way to steal this person's data and illegally use it for my own personal gain." is going to even be an afterthought to such an entity, let alone a dealbreaker. > Even if you aside that breaking the law is not a problem for them, there are far easier and less expensive ways to access your data. Like accessing it through your internet connection or breaking into your house. Unless your interceptor happens to be a disgruntled UPS employee who managed to score the route delivering the packages to your facility, in which case he/she has managed to land the easiest data theft opportunity ever.
      - alexnucci 12y ago
        I agree, these extreme case scenarios are theoretically possible, though extremely unlikely. Like I mentioned in my answer to your other comment, shipping is the weakest link (or biggest risk) of our company. We'll do our best to figure out ways to make customers comfortable with shipping their drives to us.
- JakDrako 12y ago
  Yup, you could add "0. Make drive image for NSA" without altering the rest of the process. If you need that amount of security, you should probably destroy your own drives.
  - alexnucci 12y ago
    Hi, I'm Alex Nucci, founder of Destroyer.io. Sorry for the late response, I was just tipped about this HN thread. I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 You can check out my answer to pjlegato's question above. I'm guessing it'll answer some of the questions you might have as well. I can tell from this thread that we have to exude more trust. We know we're not for every customer, but we do want to make sure that the ones that are a right fit (small businesses and end consumers) feel comfortable with us. If there's anything specific in our messaging or process that you'd like for us to point out or improve, let me know. Thanks again, cheers!
- alexnucci 12y ago
  Hi, sorry for the late response. I was just tipped about this HN thread, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 I've answered your same questions a couple of times today, here's what I've been saying: Great question. Naturally, most of the inquiries or concerns around this service are going to revolve around trust and security. The obvious and straight forward answer is that we're not. The more complicated one would be that I'd break a large amount of serious laws if we were doing something like that. When testing the service out, some users asked for further assurance. The solution that seemed to be liked the most involved a video feed (or pictures), that showed how we opened the package, removed the drive and destroyed it. That's something that we'd build down the road if I get enough requests or feel that it would move the needle in the right direction. For now, here's what we do: receive the drive, degauss (demagnetize) it, destroy it. The customer is notified when the package arrives and when the drive is destroyed, at which point we send a certificate of destruction. Also, we'm in the process of getting our NAID AAA, eStewards, R2 and ISO 14001 certifications. The machines and processes that we use follow all of their guidelines, it's just a matter of getting approved (and paying the fees). Let me know if you have any other ideas on how we could show/proof that we're trustworthy. Interested in listening to any suggestions.
cordite 12y ago
The chat with us thing covers my entire phone's screen, I saw pictures of hard drives before that activated.
- alexnucci 12y ago
  Hi, hope you're doing well! What phone are you using? There might be a bug, and I'd like to fix it. Here's a screenshot of what it looks like on my iPhone 5: http://destroyer.io/chat-screenshot.png http://destroyer.io/chat-screenshot.png The chat box should be at the bottom right hand side of the screen. Let me know and I'll get on it. Thanks! PS: Just noticed there's another HN thread on Destroyer.io, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934
  - cordite 12y ago
    Windows phone 8 in horizontal mode. It is so zoomed in that only 5-8 words fit across the view port
    - alexnucci 12y ago
      Thanks for the feedback, we'll look into this. I may be asking for too much, but if you can email me a screenshot to alex@destroyer.io, I'd appreciate it. If you want, send your address too and I'll mail you a Destroyer.io sticker. Thanks again and sorry about the bug. Cheers.
      - cordite 12y ago
        I have sent you an email, noting "Cordite from HN" or something of the like in the subject.
        alexnucci 12y ago
        Got it! Thank you so much for the feedback. Already replied. Cheers!
yellowapple 12y ago
> Does it comply with HIPPA? If they can't be arsed to spell-check "HIPAA", I'm not entirely convinced that I should be trusting them to maintain HIPAA compliance if I decide to send them drives that potentially contain patient data. That is, unless they're instead shouting about complying with sand crabs, though I'm still concerned in either case. > The easiest way to destroy your hard drive. You mean other than nuking it with DBAN or shred and then taking a hammer to it and/or burning it in a fire? > Same methods, machines and processes used by banks and recommended by the NSA Yeah, because banks and the NSA are obviously bastions of trustworthiness. </sarcasm> > Place the sealed box in any UPS dropbox or schedule a free pick-up. This seems to be a rather significant point of potential failure. While I certainly like UPS better than the USPS (or - God forbid - FedEx), I'm not inclined to go with this approach rather than take drives to a local data destruction facility and/or destroy them myself. If you're going to send me a box, it had damn well better be one with a good locking mechanism and some measure of tamper resistance and/or evidence. Even that's not surefire, but it's sure as hell better than "here's a cardboard box; trust us, it's secure enough". The idea's cute and creative, but when it comes to things like EHRs and such that require absolute confidentiality and security to a degree that would make top-notch military agencies and veteran cryptonerds blush, neither "cute" nor "creative" are good selling points.
- alexnucci 12y ago
  Hi, I'm Alex Nucci, founder of Destroyer.io. Sorry for the late response, I was just tipped about this HN thread. I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 HIPPA typo: Thanks for pointing out the typo, it has been fixed. We just opened up the site today, I expect to find a few extra mistakes and bugs that we'll have to fix. --- "Easiest way to destroy a drive": DBAN is not physical destruction, which is what we do. We do it this way because it's the only way to guarantee that your data will disappear, forever. Taking a hammer to the drive, disassembling it and burning it might do the trick. We're not here to serve hardcore DIYers, we're here to serve people that need a guaranteed, quick and inexpensive service that does it for them. Like any other service business, there's a group of potential customers that will want to wash their own car, cook their own meal, paint their own nails, clean their own house, cut their own hair, etc. We believe that we're offering great value for the service being provided, at just $19 (and $10 for extra drives). We also believe that paying $19, checking out in under 60 seconds, getting a box delivered to you, dropping the drive inside the box and then just dropping off the package at a drop box (or scheduling a pick up) is the easiest way to go about this. --- NSA wording: When we say we use the same methods recommended by the NSA, we're trying to say that we use the same methods that the government uses to destroy their drives. Having said that, I'm by now certain that the NSA wording will be changed. Just seeing those words makes people uncomfortable, and after a lot of feedback it seems that it's doing our company a disservice. --- Drop box: This option is not for everyone, and we realize that. You can also schedule a free pickup or drop it off yourself at any of their facilities. --- Locking mechanism, etc.: These are upgrades that we've though about. Some seem more possible than others, but we can definitely improve on the choices being offered (currently just one). Improvements across the board will be implemented as we grow and get more feedback, that's for sure. -- In conclusion, thanks for taking the time to detail your pain points. We shouldn't be leaving so many unanswered questions, our messaging should be clearer and leave nothing to doubt. I'll take all of your feedback, along with the rest that I've gotten today, and improve our message and service. Let me know if there's anything else that I can answer for you. Cheers!
alexnucci 12y ago
Gals and guys, thanks a lot for all of your comments. We just launched 2 days ago, and it really means a lot to get this amount of feedback so soon. It helps us make the product better right away (it already did). Giving you more information and clearing up our messaging will be the first thing to tackle, we already got started. Followed by additional shipping carriers, video feed of our facility (or the destruction of your drive) and better packaging. These things will all make our product more attractive and make our customers feel more confidence towards our service. We want to help all of you destroy your drives, give us a shot (some of you already did, thanks!) Please let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers!

Destroyer.io

13 points by markmassie 12y ago

pjlegato 12y ago

Cool idea, but how do we know that destroyer.io itself is not an elaborate phishing front?

tlack 12y ago
It would be great if you could pay an additional $10 and get a video confirmation of the destruction (they could start with a closeup zoom on the serial number).
- alexnucci 12y ago
  Hi, I'm Alex, founder of Destroyer.io. I was just tipped about this HN thread, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 Yes, that's a great idea, and it's the next step. We plan on having a live video feed of our facility. We also want to record how each order is destroyed, and show the drive owner see how we destroyed their drive. The site was just opened up today. As we grow and get feedback, we'll adapt and add more features to our service.
Justsignedup 12y ago
Now that I know where hard drives are getting shipped, I can intercept. Yet another place single point of failure.
- alexnucci 12y ago
  Hi, I'm Alex, founder of Destroyer.io. I was just tipped about this HN thread, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 We don't expect this to be a problem. The interceptor would be breaking several laws. Even if you aside that breaking the law is not a problem for them, there are far easier and less expensive ways to access your data. Like accessing it through your internet connection or breaking into your house. Either way, all of your guys' concerns are valid, and I understand your point of view. We'll grow and improve our messaging + service as time goes by, that's for sure. Thanks for sharing your opinion. Cheers!
  - yellowapple 12y ago
    > The interceptor would be breaking several laws. The interceptor is already breaking a whole bunch of laws regardless. I don't think "oh no, intercepting this hard drive would be illegal! I should find another way to steal this person's data and illegally use it for my own personal gain." is going to even be an afterthought to such an entity, let alone a dealbreaker. > Even if you aside that breaking the law is not a problem for them, there are far easier and less expensive ways to access your data. Like accessing it through your internet connection or breaking into your house. Unless your interceptor happens to be a disgruntled UPS employee who managed to score the route delivering the packages to your facility, in which case he/she has managed to land the easiest data theft opportunity ever.
    - alexnucci 12y ago
      I agree, these extreme case scenarios are theoretically possible, though extremely unlikely. Like I mentioned in my answer to your other comment, shipping is the weakest link (or biggest risk) of our company. We'll do our best to figure out ways to make customers comfortable with shipping their drives to us.
JakDrako 12y ago
Yup, you could add "0. Make drive image for NSA" without altering the rest of the process. If you need that amount of security, you should probably destroy your own drives.
- alexnucci 12y ago
  Hi, I'm Alex Nucci, founder of Destroyer.io. Sorry for the late response, I was just tipped about this HN thread. I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 You can check out my answer to pjlegato's question above. I'm guessing it'll answer some of the questions you might have as well. I can tell from this thread that we have to exude more trust. We know we're not for every customer, but we do want to make sure that the ones that are a right fit (small businesses and end consumers) feel comfortable with us. If there's anything specific in our messaging or process that you'd like for us to point out or improve, let me know. Thanks again, cheers!
alexnucci 12y ago
Hi, sorry for the late response. I was just tipped about this HN thread, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 I've answered your same questions a couple of times today, here's what I've been saying: Great question. Naturally, most of the inquiries or concerns around this service are going to revolve around trust and security. The obvious and straight forward answer is that we're not. The more complicated one would be that I'd break a large amount of serious laws if we were doing something like that. When testing the service out, some users asked for further assurance. The solution that seemed to be liked the most involved a video feed (or pictures), that showed how we opened the package, removed the drive and destroyed it. That's something that we'd build down the road if I get enough requests or feel that it would move the needle in the right direction. For now, here's what we do: receive the drive, degauss (demagnetize) it, destroy it. The customer is notified when the package arrives and when the drive is destroyed, at which point we send a certificate of destruction. Also, we'm in the process of getting our NAID AAA, eStewards, R2 and ISO 14001 certifications. The machines and processes that we use follow all of their guidelines, it's just a matter of getting approved (and paying the fees). Let me know if you have any other ideas on how we could show/proof that we're trustworthy. Interested in listening to any suggestions.

cordite 12y ago

The chat with us thing covers my entire phone's screen, I saw pictures of hard drives before that activated.

alexnucci 12y ago
Hi, hope you're doing well! What phone are you using? There might be a bug, and I'd like to fix it. Here's a screenshot of what it looks like on my iPhone 5: http://destroyer.io/chat-screenshot.png http://destroyer.io/chat-screenshot.png The chat box should be at the bottom right hand side of the screen. Let me know and I'll get on it. Thanks! PS: Just noticed there's another HN thread on Destroyer.io, I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934
- cordite 12y ago
  Windows phone 8 in horizontal mode. It is so zoomed in that only 5-8 words fit across the view port
  - alexnucci 12y ago
    Thanks for the feedback, we'll look into this. I may be asking for too much, but if you can email me a screenshot to alex@destroyer.io, I'd appreciate it. If you want, send your address too and I'll mail you a Destroyer.io sticker. Thanks again and sorry about the bug. Cheers.
    - cordite 12y ago
      I have sent you an email, noting "Cordite from HN" or something of the like in the subject.
      - alexnucci 12y ago
        Got it! Thank you so much for the feedback. Already replied. Cheers!

yellowapple 12y ago

> Does it comply with HIPPA? If they can't be arsed to spell-check "HIPAA", I'm not entirely convinced that I should be trusting them to maintain HIPAA compliance if I decide to send them drives that potentially contain patient data. That is, unless they're instead shouting about complying with sand crabs, though I'm still concerned in either case. > The easiest way to destroy your hard drive. You mean other than nuking it with DBAN or shred and then taking a hammer to it and/or burning it in a fire? > Same methods, machines and processes used by banks and recommended by the NSA Yeah, because banks and the NSA are obviously bastions of trustworthiness. </sarcasm> > Place the sealed box in any UPS dropbox or schedule a free pick-up. This seems to be a rather significant point of potential failure. While I certainly like UPS better than the USPS (or - God forbid - FedEx), I'm not inclined to go with this approach rather than take drives to a local data destruction facility and/or destroy them myself. If you're going to send me a box, it had damn well better be one with a good locking mechanism and some measure of tamper resistance and/or evidence. Even that's not surefire, but it's sure as hell better than "here's a cardboard box; trust us, it's secure enough". The idea's cute and creative, but when it comes to things like EHRs and such that require absolute confidentiality and security to a degree that would make top-notch military agencies and veteran cryptonerds blush, neither "cute" nor "creative" are good selling points.

alexnucci 12y ago
Hi, I'm Alex Nucci, founder of Destroyer.io. Sorry for the late response, I was just tipped about this HN thread. I had posted one, and had been answering questions, here - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8074934 HIPPA typo: Thanks for pointing out the typo, it has been fixed. We just opened up the site today, I expect to find a few extra mistakes and bugs that we'll have to fix. --- "Easiest way to destroy a drive": DBAN is not physical destruction, which is what we do. We do it this way because it's the only way to guarantee that your data will disappear, forever. Taking a hammer to the drive, disassembling it and burning it might do the trick. We're not here to serve hardcore DIYers, we're here to serve people that need a guaranteed, quick and inexpensive service that does it for them. Like any other service business, there's a group of potential customers that will want to wash their own car, cook their own meal, paint their own nails, clean their own house, cut their own hair, etc. We believe that we're offering great value for the service being provided, at just $19 (and $10 for extra drives). We also believe that paying $19, checking out in under 60 seconds, getting a box delivered to you, dropping the drive inside the box and then just dropping off the package at a drop box (or scheduling a pick up) is the easiest way to go about this. --- NSA wording: When we say we use the same methods recommended by the NSA, we're trying to say that we use the same methods that the government uses to destroy their drives. Having said that, I'm by now certain that the NSA wording will be changed. Just seeing those words makes people uncomfortable, and after a lot of feedback it seems that it's doing our company a disservice. --- Drop box: This option is not for everyone, and we realize that. You can also schedule a free pickup or drop it off yourself at any of their facilities. --- Locking mechanism, etc.: These are upgrades that we've though about. Some seem more possible than others, but we can definitely improve on the choices being offered (currently just one). Improvements across the board will be implemented as we grow and get more feedback, that's for sure. -- In conclusion, thanks for taking the time to detail your pain points. We shouldn't be leaving so many unanswered questions, our messaging should be clearer and leave nothing to doubt. I'll take all of your feedback, along with the rest that I've gotten today, and improve our message and service. Let me know if there's anything else that I can answer for you. Cheers!

alexnucci 12y ago

Gals and guys, thanks a lot for all of your comments. We just launched 2 days ago, and it really means a lot to get this amount of feedback so soon. It helps us make the product better right away (it already did). Giving you more information and clearing up our messaging will be the first thing to tackle, we already got started. Followed by additional shipping carriers, video feed of our facility (or the destruction of your drive) and better packaging. These things will all make our product more attractive and make our customers feel more confidence towards our service. We want to help all of you destroy your drives, give us a shot (some of you already did, thanks!) Please let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers!