Can security devices harm DVDs and electronic devices?

Question

A few days ago I was at Best Buy and bought a couple of DVDs and a vacuum cleaner. The security guy at the exit had this large handheld device, and he rubbed it around my DVDs and then rubbed it on just one part of the box that the vacuum cleaner was in. So he was either using the device to deactivate any security tags on my DVDs and vacuum cleaner, or using the device to determine if I was stealing anything. I guess the device outputted some sort of magnetic field. My question is this: would a magnetic field be harmful to either DVDs or electronic items such as vacuum cleaners?

jayembee · Accepted Answer

No.-- jayembee

Bill Turner · Answer

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DVDs are purely optical devices and are unaffected by magnetic fields. Your vacuum cleaner has magnetic parts but to be damaged the magnetic field would have to be so powerful as to actually bend something... not going to happen from a security device.

Jerry G. · Answer

DVD and CD disks are purely optical devices. You can run these through an MRI, and they will still play very well.The bottom line is a big NO for harming DVD's and CD disks with a magnetic field.-- Jerry G.======A few days ago I was at Best Buy and bought a couple of DVDs and a vacuumcleaner.  The security guy at the exit had this large handheld device, and herubbed it around my DVDs and then rubbed it on just one part of the box thatthe vacuum cleaner was in.  So he was either using the device to deactivateany security tags on my DVDs and vacuum cleaner, or using the device todetermine if I was stealing anything.  I guess the device outputted some sortof magnetic field.  My question is this: would a magnetic field be harmful toeither DVDs or electronic items such as vacuum cleaners?

curious · Answer

But the magnetic field could also induce current in the vacuum's electroniccomponents...  would that be harmful to the vacuum at all?

Camper · Answer

Ask the vacuum cleaner!

Bill Turner · Answer

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I've never heard of electronic components being harmed by a magnetic field. Electric fields, yes, but not magnetic. I think the field would have to be enormously strong to cause harm.

The only kinds of devices which could be harmed by magnetic fields are ones that are magnetic-based themselves, such as floppy disks. Don't worry about it.

Jon Purkey · Answer

TVs and computer monitor screens can be damaged too. Degaussing willusually fix it, but not always.--Jon Purkey -

Bill Turner · Answer

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If the built in degausser doesn't fix it, find an old time TV technician and have him dig out his manual degausser. One of those will degauss anything.

Terry · Answer

Agree:But keep magnetic fields away from the magnetic stripe on your bank/credit cards!One guy laid his credit card on top of a hardware store check out security tag cancellation device and the card got 'wiped'!

curious · Answer

Yeah I read that the magnetic field generated by an MRI could damage electronic devices, so I was just wondering if it is possible that a weaker one could also do some damage.

BTW, when you say "electric field", do you just mean static electricity?

Bill Turner · Answer

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An electric field can be either static or dynamic. Any time you have voltages of opposite polarity present, there is a field between them.

Can security devices harm DVDs and electronic devices?

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