Old technology in NSA age: Typewriter sales surge in Germany

Old technology in NSA age: Typewriter sales surge in Germany — RT News

However, electric typewriters give off electronic signals with every letter typed, and those signals can be intercepted and used to determine the content of the document. Certainly it is harder than intercepting emails or tweets or IMs, but it is very doable.

Before the computer age typewriters were all we had. When we needed to type a classified document we had to use a typewriter certified as shielded from "tempest hazard," which meant it was designed not to emit those impulses.