In today’s technology driven culture, it’s easier than ever to find places to connect to the Internet even while traveling. However, even though these Internet “hotspots” are very convenient, they can also compromise your level of privacy during your browsing activities. In order to keep yourself as secure as possible, it’s best to use a password protected wireless network. If you are using the Internet in a place that has a high level of visibility, take care before entering any confidential information such as banking passwords or credit card information. Ideally, these sorts of activities would be better off left until you are able to access the Internet in a more private setting.

If you are using a public terminal, make sure to clear your browsing history, cookies and any stored passwords before leaving the computer. Failure to do so could give the next user easy access to your information without your knowledge.  If you have to leave the computer for a moment, make sure that you don’t leave any confidential information visible on the screen in your absence.

Although this all may seem like common sense, the fact that we have become so accustomed to technology often leads to a false sense of security. Although it is usually safe to browse online at your leisure, you can offer yourself a further degree of protection simply by taking care to keep sensitive data private. If you have reason to believe that any of your accounts have been compromised, take action by changing your passwords immediately.