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BleachBit

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BleachBit
Initial release24 December 2008; 15 years ago (2008-12-24)
Stable release
4.6.2[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 11 October 2024; 43 days ago (11 October 2024)
Repository
Written inPython
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows
macOS
Linux
Size11.3-12.1 MB (Windows)
Available in64 languages[2]
TypeDisk cleaner
LicenseGNU General Public License
Websitewww.bleachbit.org

BleachBit is a free and open-source disk space cleaner, privacy manager, and computer system optimizer. The BleachBit source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3.

History

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BleachBit was first publicly released on 24 December 2008 for Linux systems.[3] The 0.2.1 release created some controversy[4] by suggesting Linux needed a registry cleaner.

Version 0.4.0 introduced CleanerML,[5] a standards-based markup language for writing new cleaners. On May 29, 2009, BleachBit version 0.5.0 added support for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.[6] On September 16, 2009, version 0.6.4 introduced command-line interface support.[7]

Technology

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BleachBit is written in the Python programming language and uses PyGTK.

Most of BleachBit's cleaners are written in CleanerML,[8] an open standard XML-based markup language for writing cleaners.[9] CleanerML deals not only with deleting files, but also executes more specialized actions, such as vacuuming an SQLite database (used, for example, to clean Yum).

BleachBit's file shredder uses only a single, "secure" pass[10] because its developers believe that there is a lack of evidence that multiple passes, such as the 35-pass Gutmann method, are more effective. They also assert that multiple passes are significantly slower and may give the user a false sense of security by overshadowing other ways in which privacy may be compromised.[11]

Hillary Clinton email controversy

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Bleachbit was used to erase emails on Hillary Clinton's private server during her time as Secretary of State during the Obama administration.[12]

In August 2016, Republican U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy announced that he had seen notes from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), taken during an investigation of Clinton's emails, that stated that her staff had used BleachBit in order to delete tens of thousands of emails on her private server.[13][14] Subsequently, then presidential nominee Donald Trump claimed Clinton had “acid washed” and “bleached” her emails, calling it “an expensive process.”[15]

After the announcement, BleachBit's company website reportedly received increased traffic.[16][17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Release 4.6.2". 11 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Features | BleachBit". bleachbit.org. BleachBit. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  3. ^ "BleachBit's public debut!". Bleachbit.blogspot.com. 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  4. ^ "BleachBit: Does GNU/Linux need the equivalent of a Windows registry cleaner?". Lwn.net. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  5. ^ "BleachBit 0.4.0 released". Bleachbit.blogspot.com. 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  6. ^ "BleachBit 0.5.0 released". Bleachbit.blogspot.com. 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  7. ^ "BleachBit 0.6.4 released". bleachbit.org. 2009-09-16. Archived from the original on 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  8. ^ "CleanerML". docs.bleachbit.org.
  9. ^ "BleachBit: Cleaner Markup Language". Bleachbit.blogspot.com. 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  10. ^ "Validating secure erase". Bleachbit.blogspot.com. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  11. ^ "Shred files and wipe disks". docs.bleachbit.org.
  12. ^ Lichtblau, Eric; Goldman, Adam (September 2, 2016). "F.B.I. Papers Offer Closer Look at Hillary Clinton Email Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  13. ^ Nelson, Louis (August 25, 2016). "Gowdy: Clinton used special tool to wipe email server". Politico. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  14. ^ Newman, Lily Hay (August 26, 2016). "Security News This Week: Hillary Clinton Didn't Delete Her Emails, She Super Deleted Them". Wired. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  15. ^ Kiely, Eugene (2016-09-08). "Trump, Pence 'Acid Wash' Facts". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  16. ^ Limitone, Julia (August 29, 2016). "BleachBit Creator Says Possibility of Finding Clinton's Wiped E-mails Exists". Fox Business. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  17. ^ Shaw, Adam (November 2, 2016). "BleachBit selling 'cloth or something' -- in homage to Clinton". FoxNews.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
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