Data protection based on user input during device boot-up, user login, and device shut-down states

A method for protecting sensitive data stored on a computing device, comprising:

• determining, during a shut-down process of the computing device, whether particular user input has been received via at least one user interface of the computing device, wherein the shut-down process of the computing device comprises a process during which an operating system and/or other software processes executing on the computing device are suspended or terminated and one or more hardware components of the computing device are being powered down;
• in response to a determination that the particular user input has been received, activating, during the shut-down process of the computing device, a first mode of operation of the computing device in which sensitive data stored on the computing device and non-sensitive data stored on the computing device are both visible and accessible to a user;
• and
• in response to a determination that the particular user input has not been received, activating, during the shut-down process of the computing device, a second mode of operation of the computing device in which the non-sensitive data stored on the computing device is visible and accessible to the user and the sensitive data stored on the computing device is rendered one or more of invisible to the user and inaccessible to the user by performing one or more of:
• soft deleting an item of sensitive data, the soft deleting the item of sensitive data comprising deleting a link or file pointer to the item of sensitive data, the link or file pointer being restorable from a secure store;
• or
• closing or hiding a window in which the item of data is displayed.

A computer program product comprising a computer-readable memory having computer program logic recorded thereon that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform a method for protecting sensitive data stored on a computing device, the method comprising:

• determining, during a shut-down process of the computing device, whether particular user input has been received via at least one user interface of the computing device, wherein the shut-down process of the computing device comprises a process during which an operating system and/or other software processes executing on the computing device are suspended or terminated and one or more hardware components of the computing device are being powered down;
• in response to a determination that the particular user input has been received, not activating, during the shut-down process of the computing device, a data protection mode of operation of the computing device in which sensitive data stored on the computing device is rendered one or more of invisible to a user and inaccessible to the user by performing one or more of:
• soft deleting an item of sensitive data, the soft deleting the item of sensitive data comprising deleting a link or file pointer to the item of sensitive data, the link or file pointer being restorable from a secure store;
• or
• closing or hiding a window in which the item of data is displayed;
• and
• in response to a determination that the particular user input has not been received, activating, during the shut-down process of the computing device, the data protection mode of the computing device.