A new survey has revealed that half of British Wi-Fi users who access public hotspots are unaware if their connection is open or secure, which could mean they are putting themselves at risk.
According to yourmoney.com, the Experian Consumer Services WiFi Hotspots consumer survey looked at 1,641 British adults that use Wi-Fi hotspots. They discovered that only a third of users think about the security of the network before connecting to it.
In addition, 58 per cent said their mobile devices automatically connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots, reports travelbite.co.uk.
This is despite the fact that two thirds of the respondents said that they use Wi-Fi to access their emails, which could mean many users are exposing their personal information without their knowledge.
Managing director of Experian Consumer Services UK&I, Peter Turner, said: “Think of them like you would a public phone call. You would not openly discuss something personal or private if you thought people were listening, so don’t say it with your laptop, tablet or smartphone. By being blasé, we are all putting ourselves at risk of identity theft.”
Experian has advised that hotspot users should turn off automatic connections to Wi-Fi networks so that they can first check if the network is secure or not. It is also advised that Brits should do their internet banking at home, rather than on a network which is not secure.
