Yes, privacy screens are a great way to prevent over-the-shoulder snooping in public places -- especially on airplanes, where you're in a relatively small space with a lot of people and are likely to be working on your laptop.

It doesn't matter if you're using your computer for personal or business use: What you see, click or type on the screen should be for your eyes only. It might be sensitive company information, private email messages or a DVD movie that might not be appropriate for the 6-year-old beside you.

Whatever your reasons, a number of products are available that stick to your laptop's screen. When applied, you need to be looking straight at the laptop in order to see words or images. For everyone else, the screen simply looks black, as if the computer were turned off.

You can either buy one at a retail store and simply choose the right-size privacy screen for your laptop (such as a 13.3-, 15.6- or 17-inch display), or you can order one online and select your exact computer make and model from the drop-down menus. That way, you know it'll fit perfectly.

These privacy screens can be removed and reapplied a few times, but eventually the adhesive backing won't stick to the laptop anymore, so it's recommended you keep it on as long as you can. It's fine to close the laptop with these films on the screen since they're super-thin. Privacy screens are also available for desktops, netbooks and even smartphones.