It’s a common sight: someone working on a laptop or tablet on a plane or train, at a park, in a coffee shop, or at a conference. Their screen is exposed, and they’re most likely not paying attention to whoever might be trying to get a glance at what’s on it, writes Mary Pichotta, Applications Engineer, 3M.
Each of these instances presents an opportunity for visual hacking, which is the viewing or capturing of sensitive, confidential or private information for unauthorised use. Visual hacking can occur in nearly any public place. But it could just as likely occur at work, where device screens facing walkways or toward windows pose visual hacking risks.
Visual hacking is made all the easier thanks to increasingly sophisticated and ubiquitous technology, from smartphone cameras and wearable technologies to high-powered digital cameras. Today, a visual hack can be invisible to the victim when it occurs, and often untraceable afterwards. From a security perspective, one of the simplest, but also one of the most important, things that IT or security professionals can do is ensure any device at risk of visual hacking is equipped with a screen privacy filter. The easy-to-use products are available for both computers and mobile devices. When selecting a filter, three considerations should be top of mind:
Security
Visual privacy risks exist not only in public places, but also in a wide range of industry-specific settings. They can include scheduling stations and computers on wheels in hospitals, teller workstations and ATMs in banks, or open-office layouts in corporate offices. In these instances, privacy filters can help protect information displayed on a screen from potential onlookers. The filters use small black microstructures, known as louvers, to blacken the view of angled onlookers while allowing light to pass through for the intended user.
Productivity
Sunlight can result in heavy screen glare on some device screens, while light reflections can impact picture quality or contrast on other devices. Glare and reflection aren’t just annoying – they can affect productivity. In response, filters are available with anti-glare and anti-reflection properties. Anti-glare coatings use a microstructure to break up mirror-like images that occur in bright environments. And anti-reflection coatings use a finer nanostructure to control the light passing through the filter, which can improve image contrast.
Durability
Laptops, tablets and other display devices sometimes need to be ruggedized for use in places like classrooms or protected against harsh conditions in places like industrial environments. While devices are evolving to meet these needs, protection films can help provide an added layer of defence. Protection films use advanced coating technology to create a hard-coat barrier between the user and the display surface. This barrier can help guard against scratches and other screen damage.
Other considerations
A range of filters are available on the market to address security, productivity and durability. But not all filters are created equal. IT or security personnel should research filters before purchasing them. This includes understanding how a filter might impact device performance or usability, such as if it diminishes touchscreen sensitivity or image quality. The less-expensive option may save money up front, but it can cost more in the long run if it doesn’t deliver the needed level of security, impedes employee productivity or fails to protect a device.
