If you've ever had the misfortune of losing your files by mistake or because of a hardware failure, than you might know that, to some extent,
most files can be recovered (usually with the help of specialized recovery apps).

Hence, if you're a very privacy-oriented user and want to make sure that the files you delete from your computer are unrecoverable, then you might want to use a shredder app.

File Shredder (formerly called Raider) is a Linux app that can definitely help you potentially enhance data privacy by permanently removing sensitive files from your computer.

It's a tiny, free, and open-source application, that's mostly designed for modern GNOME desktop environments. It's also part of the GNOME Circle, in case you want to start checking its "credentials."

The way it works is remarkably straightforward: you load the files you want the shred into its GUI, and either individually delete them (using the dedicated buttons) or click the "Shred All" button at the bottom.

File Shredder is not exactly a complex app. It's designed to do one thing and one thing only. Even though the app gets the job done nicely, it's worth knowing that nothing can be 100% permanently deleted, even by specialized apps such as this.

For instance, if your computer has an SSD (and chances are that it does), then please be aware of the fact that shredding can never be perfect (this is due to SSD-related technologies meant to extend the drive's lifetime).

However, unless you're working for a super secret governmental agency, then this app should be enough. At least you know that potential data recovery is massively hindered after an app such as this is used.