Which of the following should be the FIRST consideration when selecting a data sanitization method?

The first consideration when selecting a data sanitization method is the type of storage device that holds the data to be sanitized. Different types of storage devices have different characteristics and limitations that affect the effectiveness and feasibility of data sanitization methods. For example, magnetic media, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), can be sanitized by data degaussing, which is wiping data permanently by weakening the magnetic field1. However, data degaussing is not applicable to devices that use solid state drive (SSD) technology, since SSDs do not store data magnetically2. Therefore, the storage type determines which data sanitization methods are suitable and available for the data disposal process.

References:

ISACA, Why (and How to) Dispose of Digital Data, Data Degaussing1

ISACA, Best Practices for Data Hygiene, Data Hygiene Practices3

TechReset, Data Sanitization and Methods, Cryptographic Erasure2

Imperva, What is Data Sanitization?4