New Software Protects Your Monitor From Peering Eyes
Annoying shoulder lurkers have always been the bane of public readers, even if the reading material is as innocuous as a newspaper. So-called "shoulder surfers" can be a significant problem, though, for office workers and military personnel whose computer screens may display valuable confidential information. Oculis Labs focuses on developing "technologies for protecting the contents of your computer monitor" from such eavesdropping spies. Founder and President Bill Anderson recently spoke with The Baltimore Sun about two of his company's current products, and how exactly they can hide your screen from nosy neighbors.
The 'Chameleon' software is geared toward military and government personnel. The expensive and high-tech gaze-tracking hardware follows the eyes of the intended reader (and is accurate to a single character), but jumbles and blurs the remaining letters and numbers so others can't decipher the screen's contents. The other program, 'Private Eye Pro,' requires only a Web cam. When the user turns way from the camera, the screen automatically blurs. If someone stealthily peers over your shoulder, a pop-up window appears, displaying only the shocked reflection of your office nemesis.
Finally, someone has devised an effective method that will let us catch all of March Madness (or next summer's World Cup) without getting busted by the boss. While the software definitely provides valuable privacy, we have a feeling that, with all of the office porn surfers out there, this won't exactly help with job productivity. [From: BaltimoreSun.com]
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