Computer Privacy

While using computers in public places makes life convenient and enjoyable for people like me, it also presents certain computer privacy risks. After laptops were introduced which allowed portability, employees and business owners are now as excited as I am about the internet which allows us to connect and work on our projects any time and from any where including from public places. However, as the internet was introduced, the world became connected and the privacy issue became even more pressing and challenging to deal with.

In addition, as profit margins rule in business, some businesses feel the need to cut rent and office costs allowing their employees to telecommute or forcing them to share office space with their colleagues raising additional computer and desk privacy concerns. Both telecommuting and office sharing increase the risk of privacy disclosure especially when combining telecommuting with the luxury of accessing company systems from internet enabled coffee shops and other public places.

In dealing with laptop privacy, awareness is very important which means that we have to assume that although most people are trustworthy and would never look at a stranger’s computer screen, some people might actually be targeting our information. In fact, I always try my best to avoid accessing my bank account and other sensitive personal accounts from public internet access points whether it’s the hotel room or the coffee shop because I’m worried about spyware that might collect my information. On the other hand, even if I’m just working on projects or accessing less sensitive internet accounts such as my email accounts, I’m still worried about someone noticing my ID and password as I type them on my computer screen. One solution for such cases is to use a computer privacy screen filter. A computer privacy filter actually prevents someone from looking at the information on your computer screen while you type or view them. They must be sitting exactly where you are in front of the computer in order to see what you see.

Whether you work on sensitive information in public places or your share your office with other colleagues, it’s very important to use a laptop privacy filter such as the 3M privacy filter to block the screen view from anyone viewing the computer from a side view. Screen privacy filters have additional benefits such as glare reduction and computer screen protection against scratches and fingerprints.

Read about invasion of computer privacy laws.