Why I Use a Privacy Screen When Working in Public

Privacy screens are an affordable way to protect yourself from nosy colleagues and strangers whilst traveling, but they aren’t flawless.

What Is a Privacy Screen?

A privacy screen, sometimes referred to as a privacy filter, is a thin piece of material that’s placed over your laptop screen (or monitor) to prevent any wandering eyes from reading your screen. Anyone looking from the right or left of the device will only be able to see a darkened screen.

While some devices may have a privacy screen built in by the manufacturer, you can also purchase privacy sheets at an affordable price that you can apply yourself.

You may have seen a similar device at a bank if you’ve ever tried to peek at your account balance when the teller walked away. This is the same technology used by privacy screens, which restricts the viewing angle of the screen. However, when viewed directly, the user can see the screen as clearly as intended, so it should not affect visibility.

Why Having a Privacy Screen Is Important

I began using a privacy screen when working for a cybersecurity company, where I was required to use one when doing any sensitive work in public or traveling. I continued to use one on my laptop even after I left the company because it reduces my eye strain and doesn’t impact the screen brightness too much. It also gave me a sense of security that even if someone were looking at my screen, they wouldn’t be able to see anything.

But that’s not all. Having a privacy screen can help protect against visual hacking. Visual hacking is a low-tech method of stealing sensitive information by physically looking at someone’s computer screen and either taking a picture or memorizing what’s on the screen. As someone conscious of security, this is important to me.

Even if you don’t use your laptop for sensitive work, you may still display your private data or personal information when using it in public. This can include emails, password logins, and address submission forms. If you’re working remotely for a company, business data is at risk. This includes trade or marketing secrets, proprietary data, payroll/bank statements, customer information, and contact lists.

Does Your Device Already Have a Privacy Screen?

Privacy filters can be used for both smartphone screens and computer screens. Some laptops (including those from HP, ThinkPad, and Dell) even include a built-in privacy screen.

A quick way to check if your monitor has a built-in privacy screen is to Google the make and model of your device followed by the term “privacy screen”, or check on the manufacturer’s website. You can also check for a toggle or shortcut key to enable or disable the privacy screens, as some devices have this option—it may be Fn+F, or again you can search for this online.

Limitations of Privacy Screens

Though privacy screens have their benefits, there are some limitations. It can get a little bothersome when trying to show something to friends and family. They won’t be able to see what you’re showing them unless viewing directly (and not from an angle).

Privacy screens generally don’t affect screen brightness or visual clarity significantly, but you’ll still need to keep your brightness at maximum to ensure it doesn’t become a limitation.

While I prefer using a privacy screen for my laptop, I avoid using one on my smartphone mainly for this reason. I also haven’t found a good privacy screen for my phone, since the ones I’ve tried have darkened my screen and impacted the brightness quite a bit.

Though privacy screens offer visual protection against curious onlookers, don’t let them lure you into a false sense of security. Never leave your device unattended, as this can increase the likelihood of theft and misplacement. When traveling and staying in hotels, consider a secure laptop bag or travel case with a combination lock.

You can also consider adding extra authentication on your device, including two-factor authentication and setting up a BIOS password.