Thanks to you and nostr:npub1ajv7m32k0cpgzha32qszsh304qusjvwwmavus0ttktzldms4xzusuftppj for your replies. Is it weird that my first thought is "hmm, two replies both mention the same make and model, perhaps Kingston Data Travelers are backdoored"?

Here's someone doing a longevity test, apparently on the same make/model: https://blog.za3k.com/flash-media-longevity-testing----5-years-later/

I see various posts claiming data only is guaranteed to last one year without powering on or up to ten years ten years or more for flash storage.

I see many variations on Kingston Data Traveler. The easiest difference to spot is some are assembled in Taiwan, some in China, some in United States.

I would guess that less dense components, meaning smaller data capacity in a larger physical space, should all other things being equal last longer, but that's a hunch. Maybe the reliability of smaller and smaller bits is increasing. Maybe the onboard processors and software are getting smarter and smarter.

There is too much depth to this seemingly simple question. In any case, the answer seems to be the same. People like Kingston Data Travelers.