Okay. Browsing over free open wifi hotspots is awesome, but it’s also very easy for people who know how to snoop in on what you are doing. To put it in simple terms, the information you send and receive through a public hotspot is not completely secure and private; you need to take extra steps to truly make your browsing session so.

The simplest way for a regular joe to do this is by installing and using Tor. It allows you a higher measure of anonymity and security for when you need to make secure transactions (such as online banking, shopping, emails, etc.). The trade-off? Speed takes a hit. It’s up to you to choose when you want to browse securely and when you just want to quickly plow through the news headlines and some blogs.

If you access the Internet through an open network, I highly recommend that you download and install Tor.

Also, if you haven’t already, you should take the time to read the “Overview” section of the Tor website.

This is only one of several measures you can take to make your online sessions secure; I’ve rambled long enough, so if you’re interested, I’ll just include some links on some other things you can look into:

• A Basic Overview of Internet Security
• Virtual Private Network
• Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
• Proxy Servers