Symantec is making Norton-protected pants

It's becoming increasingly difficult, and thus more important, to protect your sensitive information. The cloud makes it all available and accessible from just about anywhere -- even the little computers we keep in our pockets. The more we use devices to store and access sensitive data, the more layers of protection are needed. To that end, Symantec -- makers of the famed Norton brand -- are adding a physical layer of protection: pants.

Teaming up with Symantec and its famed Norton moniker, Betabrand will be producing data-protecting jeans and blazers. The clothing builds silver-based RFID-blocking material into the pockets in order to prevent ill-intentioned passersby equipped with scanning devices from stealing your confidential data. Perhaps as importantly as the data protection, the clothing is said to be comfortable to wear and easy to manage. The Ready jeans, which are made for an active lifestyle, have two RFID-blocking pockets (one front, one back) and are comprised of 88% cotton, 10% polyester, and 2% spandex. The Work-It blazer contains one secure pocket, and is made of 67% rayon, 28% nylon, and 5% spandex.

While the jeans and blazer contain special pockets, they're maintained like any other piece of clothing -- simply cold wash and line dry the jeans, and dry clean the blazer.

The jeans and blazer aren't yet available, as they're both part of a crowdfunding effort. The $168 jeans have already met their goal with 19 days to spare, but the $198 blazer has only reached 20% of its target with the same 19 days left. Perhaps the one RFID-blocking pocket has made the blazer less appealing than the jeans' two, but the jeans' quick success is likely due to jeans being eminently more useful than a blazer.

Though not built atop one of Norton's popular security applications -- it's a shame we're not getting Symantec Ghost-pants or a Pants Security Suite -- the Ready jeans and Work-It blazer do add a hassle-free extra layer of security. Sure, you might be fiddling with your phone at every meal and throughout every commute, but the majority of its time spent out of the house is still spent cradled between fabric.

The jeans will be available in February, and you can fund a pair here(Opens in a new window). If you're interested in the blazer, you can help its funding campaign here(Opens in a new window). If you aren't interested in either, there are loads of other RFID-blocking solutions available, like wallets and smartphone cases -- just give it a Google. Failing that, you can just be brave.