When I smash mine, the pieces are less than 1" x 1".
Depends on the smasher, and the smashing.
I think I’d drop it in a steel barrel, pour in a gallon of gasoline, and toss in a match.
True there... lol Even if the disks just get bent it could be very hard.
Nuke it from space......it’s the only way to be sure.
>>the pieces are less than 1” x 1”.
“The recovery of data from damaged drives is possible. Further, using the mathematical methods employed in the experiment (Bayesian statistics) one can recover data from damaged drives with far simpler means than through the use of a MFM (magnetic force microscope).”
https://digital-forensics.sans.org/blog/2009/01/15/overwriting-hard-drive-data/
And that’s just a public example... using public technology.
Who knows what the government techno termite mound has hidden out of view.