Clearing, in telecommunications means: * A sequence of events used to disconnect a call and return to the ready state for the next call setup. It is sometimes, particularly in the context of common-channel signaling, called teardown. * Removal of data from an automated information system (AIS), its storage devices, and other peripheral devices with storage capacity, in such a way that the data may not be reconstructed using normal system capabilities (i.e. through the keyboard).