In the News
In Google’s data-saving app can now set daily limits and show a map of nearby Wi-Fi networks, Shannon Liao discusses new updates to a Google app Datally which will allow users to control the amount of data they use in a given period of time as well as providing a map of nearby free WiFi networks. Liao also explains that this update is meant to aid users who have a limit on the amount of data that they can use per month.
Our Take
No one wants to get charged extra for going over their data limit, and Google’s app Datally aims to prevent such an occurrence. When you are trying to limit your data use, public WiFi networks seem like the easiest way to access the Internet without having to use expensive cellular data. Despite the convenience of such networks and Datally’s even more convenient location of these public spots, such networks can introduce dangers to your data security. Public WiFi networks have limited protections for the information that you access and provide while on the network, leaving you and your information vulnerable to malicious attackers. And the more people Datally draws to those networks, the more strangers who might be listening in on your network traffic.
Recommendations
So how can you protect your data while you’re in public spaces?
- Where possible, use either cellular data or a wireless network that is:
- Secure–i.e., it requires a password or secret key to use
- Private–i.e., you know all of the people sharing that network with you (unlike a hotel or coffee shop, which may require a password but have strangers on the network as well)
- Where you have to use a public WiFi network, avoid banking and other sensitive activities or use VPN to encrypt your connection
- Be aware of apps running in the background of your devices, which may be communicating on any network you connect to even if you are not actively browsing