Security & Privacy

Practical, hardware-level protection for people who work with sensitive information: locking down account access, keeping shoulder-surfers off your screen, and covering the camera. None of this is exotic — it's the basics, done properly.

How to choose

• Hardware security key. The single biggest account-security upgrade. A FIDO2 key (YubiKey and equivalents) stops phishing dead because the login is bound to the real site. Buy two — one to use, one as a backup in a drawer — and match the connectors to your devices (USB-C, USB-A, NFC for phones).
• Privacy screen. A filter that narrows the viewing angle so the person next to you on a train or in an open office can't read your screen. Choose by exact monitor or laptop size; magnetic-attach versions are easier to remove for calls.
• Webcam cover. A thin sliding shutter is a few dollars and removes the question entirely. Check it's thin enough not to stop the laptop closing.
• Travel router / VPN hardware. Puts your own trusted network between your devices and hotel or café Wi-Fi, and lets you run a VPN for every device at once.

What matters less

Biometric USB drives for everyday use, "military-grade" marketing on cables and cases, and RFID-blocking for cards that mostly aren't vulnerable. Spend on the key first.