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About Privacy Screen Filters
About Laptop
Privacy Screen - Notebook Privacy Screen - What's in it
for me?
- Learn
more about our newest computer monitor privacy shield
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Combine the popular usage of laptops for business, schooling,
and private use with the increasing access to open area,
wireless internet networking, and the vulnerability of confidential
information becomes obvious. There are other protective
benefits as well:
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ID theft has cost numerous
individuals financial, emotional and myriad legal problems,
so prohibiting people access to addresses, names, phone
numbers, account numbers and other personal specifics
makes sense.
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Failure to protect corporate
data has cost companies billions of dollars a year,
such as when contracts are lost as a result of data
viewed prior to negotiations, and other such occurrences.
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Personal information disclosure
laws, such as HIPAA, are restrictive and require steps
be taken to protect certain personal information.
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The increasing use of LCD
testing stations in high schools and colleges has increased
opportunity for cheating glances at nearby computer
screens.
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Glare reduction properties
incorporated into most privacy filters makes for easier
reading and can reduce eye fatigue or headaches brought
on by screen glare.
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The monitor screens for
desktop LCDs and laptop computers are delicate and can
be easily scratched, but attaching privacy computer
filters offers a layer of protection from accidental
contact.
If you're
working in public areas and the information is of a confidential
personal or business nature, keeping that information out
of the hands of strangers or those not on a "need to know
basis" makes good sense. A quality monitor privacy filter
is a low cost solution to common problems that could cause
serious consequences.
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Extreme side viewing results
in laptop
screen looking blacked out; fonts seem
blurred when viewed from closer angle.
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A notebook privacy screen is
a low cost solution
for securing your confidential information.
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A survey by Harris that was commissioned in February 2006
received responses from 601 business travelers (+/-4% margin
of error). 45% of participants admitted to sneaking glances
at the laptop screens of others who were near them in public
areas. The information was of interest to 42% of those sneaking
a peek.
On the flip side of the equation,
of the total travelers responding, over half (51%) said
that they'd noticed people reading their screens while in
public areas such as coffee shops or waiting lounges. Queried
about what they were working on at the time, 1/5 said it
was confidential business matters while another 16% were
working on confidential personal information. Yet, despite
this, almost half of the people responding admitted that
they rarely or never do anything to stop the intruders.
Questioned further, 84% of all those surveyed said their
laptop was used primarily for business-related matters but
"only 4% worked for companies that regulated business-related
work in public places."
Author Chris McGinnis (The Official
Business Traveler's Pocket Guide: 165 Travel Tips Even the
Best Business Travelers May Not Know) is quoted in the article
saying that "...it's always important to protect the data
on your screen" because "...people do fixate on laptop screens
and you never know what they will do with the information
they discover."
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Without a reliable privacy
filter, laptop computer users must practice manual methods
to prevent their screen's information from being read: Turn
off your computer; or change your seat or seat positioning;
or shield your screen by arranging other objects (briefcases,
plants, etc) to block its view. While all these can be effective,
they're also extremely inconvenient for the computer user;
having to turn off your computer can obviously have a negative
impact on your working effectiveness.
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While the majority of school
tests are still being done with pen and paper, there are
many more schools implementing screen-based testing. Yet,
due to their close seating proximity, unprotected computer
screens (which stand vertically, compared to the horizontal
plane of writing paper) are relatively easy to read and
test results can be skewed due to cheating.
In the early 2000s, a principle
at Farnborough Sixth Form College in England was the first
to promote privacy screen usage for school exams by contacting
a manufacturer for sample products that could be used in
supervised testing. The school had already tried placing
solid partitions between students, which, while it did prevent
straying eyes, also (a) made it difficult for instructors
to spot students reading "crib sheet," plus (b) administrators
found the partitions unattractive. The success of that school's
high profile experiment has led to increased implementation
at other schools and testing sites.
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Attempts to read the monitor's information by individuals
sitting beyond the set viewing parameter are stymied. Some
styles blur images, while those constructed using Micro
Louver Technology actually black out the screen at certain
angles.
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Glare is a common cause
of computer user eyestrain with an A.O.A. (American Optometric
Association) survey noting that as many as 75% of Video
Display Terminal Users (VDT) report VDT-related eyestrain.
Not only that, but the awkward positioning workers may sit
in as a result of screen glare can be the cause of
back, neck or shoulder pain they're experiencing. Glare
can result from a combination of factors having to do with
the source of light and the positioning of the computer
screen in relation to the light source. When investing in
privacy screens for either your desktop LCD or notebook
computers be certain they're purposely designed to reduce
common glare. While no system will be able to ensure you
can read your screen well while sitting in the daylight,
common work situations should be well managed.
LCD filters are available with
frames and in a flexible, frameless style. There are very
effective models whose manufacturing process utilizes Micro
Louver Technology. This "louver-like" process "blacks out"
screen views from angles beyond a set parameter, while providing
front seated users a full view. Glare is also handled by
these tinted screens. There are also other styles of filters
available that incorporate simple coatings to blur screen
images viewed from angles.
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