This post brought to you by 3M Company. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Techetron.
Were you ever in a situation where someone was looking at your tablet or phone screen and you just wanted them to stop? Its uncomfortable! I bet a lot of people can relate to that! A certain breach of privacy comes with unwanted observers of your personal actions on your device. The technical term for it is visual privacy. In most cases than not, the unwanted observer is a casual one. No malicious intent. But of course that intent could exist which pretty much makes it visual hacking. You probably wouldn’t want someone to see you type in a password let’s say. .Learn More About Visual Hacking
That brings us to the product we are reviewing today. It is a privacy filter by 3M called the 3M Easy-on Privacy Filter and Screen Protector. This product makes it easy for you to use your electronic device without any fear of having someone see what you are looking at your screen. Straight on the filter functions as a screen protector but viewed from an angle the display goes completely dark. One note of interest is that the angle can only be in one orientation because of how the technology works. I got the iPad version in landscape orientation. Learn More About 3M™ Privacy Products
The package comes with the actual protector, a wipe pad to clean and triangular stickers which I wasn’t quite sure what they were for right away. The included indepth directions pretty much cleared that part up though. Unlike traditional screen protectors the filter is meant to be attached to the screen using the triangular stickers on the corner. It actually made it much easier to put the filter on than the usual protector that has a full adhesive back. I tested removing and putting it on a few times and was impressed with how easily the filter came off and still stuck on.
I noticed that the filter makes the screen looks a little darker than usual. Understandable due to the nature of the filter. Different angles of holding provided different levels of visibility. At about 20 degrees I would say – the filter is completely dark. A passerby will not be able to see your screen with the filter on unless at a very close proximity, and even then that person can probably only see 1/8th of the screen and it would be too dark to read or see anything. So if you are checking your bank account information, no one could really see your screen unless they are hovering right behind you or above you. But as mentioned earlier – given the orientation of the protector, you would only get visual protection in that direction. Somewhat restricting but that’s how the angles and light deflection works out.
Why corporate leaders should take action:
3M privacy solutions help corporate leaders be responsible in providing tools to workers allowing them to protect information from being visually hacked while maintaining productivity.
Heightened media attention of data breaches can cost companies millions of dollars in lost customers and irreparable damage to reputation. The average organizational cost per data breach is $5.8 million. (“2014 Cost of a Data Breach Study: Global Analysis,” Ponemon Institute/IBM, May 2014.)
Overall, the 3M privacy filter works great as intended. While for personal the use of a visual privacy filter really depends on the user’s usage of his device in public and comfort level, I do see how such a filter can be crucial in a more sensitive environment. Say business or corporate settings.
So, ever felt the threat of visual hacking while on the bus or train? Why not Request a Sample?
