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Comment on Ask HN: Please give us an option to hide our username in the upper right corner

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Isn't it a bigger issue that they can even see your screen in the first place? Like what if you have to type a password or PIN into some app/website, or some other personal info?

So I'd recommend a different approach, like getting a privacy screen guard so the screen can only be viewed from a limited angle. Or get a pair of AR/XR glasses so only you can see the content and you can keep your device's screen off.

I rarely type my password or PIN. And if I did, I'd make sure to hide my screen. But I frequently casually read HN, reddit, and other sites casually and in public places. It would be nice if my username wasn't so visible to others.

A co-worker of mine ran into issues of people trying to read his screen while traveling, and he was doing stuff for work. He ended up getting a screen protector with a privacy filter, so people couldn’t read it off axis. It seemed pretty effective.

Nearly every website puts the username in the top corner. A screen protector seems more pragmatic than trying to petition every website to change well established conventions that millions (or billions) of users are already familiar with.

Regardless, a privacy screen guard or glasses would be a much better solution for overall privacy and not just hiding your username.

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