F-Secure has performed a stunt. It's one of those stunts you roll your eyes at, because it's stupid on almost every level. The crux of the matter is this, the firm put what it calls a Herod clause into the terms and conditions on a free Wi-Fi hotspot, and those who agreed to the terms promised to give up their firstborn child to the firm.

The eye rolling comes from the fact that you can't just put whatever terms and conditions you want in a contract, and expect it to be legally binding. But that aside, I take the point about not reading Ts and Cs when you sign up for anything. The problem is, there often long and I'm almost always in a rush.

While giving up a child is not enforceable, and stupid, there is a darker side to all of this. There are other things that these conditions might include. You'll almost certainly go on a mailing list, for one thing, and that list may well get sold to anyone who cares to buy it. I've seen some Wi-Fi hotspots that request you connect via Facebook too, which gives them access to all sorts of data.

But the worst thing F-Secure did, and the most valid part of the experiment, was to sniff all of those users passwords and login data for email services and the like. And that's the issue here, because as F-Secure says, if you're using a Wi-Fi hotspot without being sure it's reputable, then you are basically giving away the keys to the castle.

My advice: get a VPN. It could be something you run at home - I have a NAS that allows me to do this - or one you pay for. But if you make a point of using third-party Wi-Fi networks, then the only way you can stay safe is it you look after your data by passing it through a secure tunnel.

I've been testing Golden Frog's VyprVPN service, and it's very slick, very fast and has some truly great mobile apps. I'll post a proper review of it in the next week or so too. But even if you opt for a more basic service, it's well worth taking some measures to protect yourself online.

Via: The Mirror