A state modulation method and an apparatus for inserting state control codes are provided. The financial institution sends a new random code to the user and the merchant, which can be compared to verify the user’s account and the financial institution’s approval of the transaction. A privacy value associated with the viewing event may be determined, the privacy value indicating an inferred sensitivity of the user to publication of the viewing event. One example of this includes use of one or more protrusions that are configured to be removed from respective cavities of the computing device along a particular axis but mechanically bind along other axes.