Day 3 of Holiday Privacy: Don’t Shop on Public Wifi

The holiday season is one of giving … and one of privacy risks, both online and off. Many shoppers are willing to throw caution to the wind in order to get the best deals on the perfect gifts for their special someones. However, holiday shoppers can have their presents, and enjoy personal privacy too. Check back every day from now until Christmas for new tips on how to maintain your private life both online and off during the holidays. Today’s tip; don’t shop on public wifi.

Day 3 of Holiday Privacy: Don’t Shop on Public Wifi

Web browsing in public is commonplace in the age of the smartphone. We do it when we’re standing in line at a cash register or want to avoid making small talk with the other people waiting for the bus. Public wifi is also on the rise, helping us save our precious cellular data. However, public wifi is actually a huge problem for our private lives. The nature of an unsecured, free network means that everyone else on that network can potentially see what you’re doing. If you log in to Facebook, someone may see your username and password. If you web search an embarrassing medical question, you may be broadcasting that out to everyone else. The biggest danger of unsecured wifi is that any financial activity you do during your session can also be seen by others on the network. Online banking and shopping put you especially at risk. So, even if you happen to see the perfect gift for someone while browsing on public wifi, don’t buy it until you’re on a secure network. You can also use a VPN to mask your web activity on public wifi.

Come back tomorrow for another holiday privacy tip and check out the one from yesterday here!

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Posted by Rhiannon

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