Thank you for the updated information. I am somewhat surprised that I am the only one who has asked about this issue.
While the option does not appear on the Finder Menu on a Mac running El Capitan, anyone who is not aware of the change and upgrades will still find the option mentioned in the Mac Help files.
Securely erase your deleted files
When you delete files from a hard disk, the storage space that the files occupied is available for use. However, the deleted files can still be recovered using data-recovery software.
If you want to delete files that contain sensitive information, you can use Secure Empty Trash. Files deleted in this way are completely overwritten by meaningless data.
- Drag the items into the Trash, then choose Finder > Secure Empty Trash.
- To always empty the Trash securely, choose Finder > Preferences, click Advanced, then select “Empty Trash securely.”
Using Secure Empty Trash takes a bit longer than simply emptying the Trash.
If you want to erase a hard disk and be sure no information is left, you can use one of the secure erase options in Disk Utility.
That reference should be removed from the Help files or there should be a specific reference to the versions of OS X that no longer have that option.
Personally, I would like to see the engineers fix the problem and return the "Secure Empty Trash" option instead of just removing it.
