This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of 3M Company for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Being hacked can come in many different forms. The most common — or at least the one we hear about the most — is ATM hacking. It’s where thieves attach a cloning device to an ATM card reader, and bam, all of your debit information is copied and ready for use. But have you ever heard of visual hacking before? It’s where a predator obtains sensitive and confidential information displayed on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, and/or desktop screens. This can create a security risk for you or possibly the organization you work for. You never know the attentions of the guy looking over your shoulder at the coffee shop.
Thankfully, there’s a solution from 3M to help privatize your devices and keep visual hacking at bay. 3M Privacy Filters and Screen Protectors prevent visual hackers from peeping your personal data by turning the typical 180˚ viewing angle into 60˚.
I recently received one of 3M’s Privacy Filters for my 15″ MacBook Pro for review and must say, it’s life changing. Traveling a lot for my business has left me paranoid with the people around me. Especially while I’m traveling in an airport. Whether they mean you harm or not, you will always find a person staring at your screen for an unsettling amount of time.
Applying was easy. First you have to choose which side you prefer: anti-glare or glossy. I went with glossy since I edit a lot of images for the blog and it tends to have more clarity. You can see from the image below how someone attempting visual hacking would see my display. You can barely make out images, let alone text. Though not shown in this blog post, you can imagine how well the 3M Privacy Filters work on smartphones. There is nothing worse than someone looking over your shoulder reading your texts.
More 3M Goodies:
Have you ever felt the threat of visual hacking?
Two-thirds of working professionals display sensitive information on mobile devices outside the office. (Thomson, Herbert H, PhD. “Visual Data Breach Risk Assessment Study.” 2010. People Consulting Services, commissioned by 3M.)
