AG-90 undergoes a memory wipe procedure.
The process of selectively or entirely erasing the memory of a droid was known as a memory wipe. Often, dregs and criminals would perform this action on unsuspecting droids. For example, Cad Bane abducted C-3PO and R2-D2, extracting information about the Senate Building's layout from their memory banks, but he subsequently wiped their memories of the incident in order to deflect any potential suspicion from himself.
To safeguard Princess Leia after the rise of the Galactic Empire, Bail Organa ensured that C-3PO's memory was completely erased. This was to prevent the droid from divulging sensitive details, notably Leia's true heritage, which could have made her a target for the Emperor. Upon acquiring C-3PO and R2-D2, Owen Lars also sought to have their memories wiped after discovering they were searching for Obi-Wan Kenobi. On Kijimi, C-3PO's memories were once again wiped (against his will) when the droidsmith Babu Frik circumvented the droid's programming limitations, enabling him to translate the Sith text on a Sith dagger. While translating the forbidden inscriptions, C-3PO's photoreceptors turned red. After completing the translation, C-3PO rebooted, and his memory was wiped in the process, causing him to revert to his factory settings.
The memory wipe procedure was crucial, and its absence could lead to droids developing independent thoughts. This was exemplified by the mining droid STALKER-1, who evolved into a hunter after an extended period without a memory reset. However, memory wipes were not foolproof. Both C-3PO and the First Order droid O-MR1 experienced glimpses of their erased memories. A macro protocol could be employed to erase the memories of multiple droids at the same time.
Droid memories could be backed up to an external source and then restored following a memory wipe. After C-3PO's second memory wipe, it was revealed that R2-D2 had saved C-3PO's memories up to the point when Rey undertook her first mission for the Resistance. R2-D2 successfully restored his counterpart's memories from that backup.
During the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic had a standard procedure of wiping the memories of astromech droids after each mission. This was done to prevent sensitive information from falling into the hands of the Separatists. Anakin Skywalker disregarded this protocol for R2-D2, much to the dismay of the Jedi Council and the Republic Military leadership.
The Galactic Empire did not allow its droids any independence and sought to maintain their subservience and obedience. Frequent memory wipes were part of this strategy, preventing droids from developing independent ideas. The First Order, an offshoot of the Empire, held similar views and followed the same fundamental practice.
Similar to droids, computers, such as those controlling starships, could develop unique quirks if they did not undergo memory wipes. After dealing with the quirks of the on-board computer of Poe Dameron's T-70 X-wing starfighter, Black One, the BB-series astromech droid BB-8 believed it required a memory wipe.
The Galactic Empire also used a similar technique on personnel, as did the First Order, through Reconditioning, on stormtroopers whose "programming" was considered unstable or defective.