Why you should actually read the URL & be careful with free Wi-Fi
So Kelly, you've convinced me that I should be wary as I browse the internet. What should I be doing to make sure that I can leverage the internet but not get into trouble?
Well, I think it all starts with where you're connecting to the internet. So first off, like you, it's great if you're using your own device which you trust and your own wifi network at home or at work. That's kind of the safest option. When you're traveling or when you're out and about and at a cafe, that's where, you know, the internet can start to get a little bit more risky just by nature.
So, you know, the worst thing could be a computer like in a hotel lobby where you can log in to get your pass or your boarding pass printed out, because you don't know who else has used that computer. You don't know what they put on it. That's completely, you know, risky. It could be that they've downloaded something to spyware onto the computer. It could be that they've plugged something in that's dangerous. You know, it depends.
If you're just doing something safe like looking up a local restaurant, that's pretty low risk. But once you're starting to think about typing your username and password into a computer, that's where I would personally be a little more cautious. You know? And then also you can think about free public wifi networks. You really have to think about if you trust the network.
So a lot of times, you know, most sites use HTTPS encryption. So that means between you and that site, everything you're sending is private. It doesn't mean the site is safe, it just means that you guys have a private connection.
So make sure I understand this point, especially if you're using a public network. To ensure, look at the URL, see the HTTPS instead of the HTTP before, as part of the URL. Then you at least know that the communications between you and the site is private. You still have to make sure it's not a shady site, but at least other people on that network aren't going to be able to see what your password is or what you're typing and things like that.
Yeah, exactly. Exactly.