Nope. If you want to ensure the magnetic domains on a HDD are not readable, then you use an alternating magnetic field to erase it. If you want the NSA (and Obama) to learn all your HHO secrets (and other secrets) , then go ahead and use the magnet.
I hope Dallas has a small family because he isn't going to be able to store very many photos on your old CD technology. A CD can only hold 700 MB of data. A modern digital camera is going to consume 10MB+ of storage space per photo. So Dallas is only going to be able to store 70 photos on your CDs.