But while polarized sunglasses prevent harsh light from going directly into your eyes, privacy filters prevent any light from straying to the left or right of your laptop screen, so you can only see the screen when you’re directly in front of it. They prevent certain wavelengths of light from going in certain directions. Laptop privacy filters are essentially polarization filters, similar to the filters that are in polarized sunglasses. It turns out that the low-tech method of “visual hacking” is extremely successful, and visual hackers can expect their beady eyes to obtain sensitive information with a 91% success rate.īut it turns out that privacy filters are a low-effort method to save yourself from any “visual hacking.” That’s why they’ve become a must-have for professionals and privacy seekers alike.
In 2015, 3M and Ponemon did a study on “ visual hacking,” a method where hackers obtain usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information by watching people’s computer screens from across the room. But you don’t have to sit in the corner of the room, all you need is a privacy filter. Whether you’re using your laptop for work or entertainment in a public space, you want to keep prying eyes away.
