Privacy on the Move: Laptop Screen Filters

I can never get any work done on airplanes. No, it’s not because of the wonderful selection of second-run films to be seen. It’s because the person sitting next to me always has to keep an eye on my laptop display, and that drives me insane. In fact, I once had a woman ask me to scroll back because she’d missed the last sentence in my word processing document. The nerve!

Well, it’s time to fight back, and I plan on investing some money on 3M’s Computer Privacy Filters. These thin plastic sheets attach to your laptop’s screen to shield your work from prying eyes. 3M promises that the film restricts the screen’s viewable angle, so only someone sitting directly in front of the laptop can see the monitor. This means if you happen to be typing up your special fried chicken recipe, you don’t have to worry about the guy in the center seat discovering your secret spices. (I bet one of them is paprika. Am I right?)

The 3M filter site features an amusing cartoon from The New Yorker, and I’ve linked a better copy of the image for your amusement.