We Are Constantly Connected and Plugged In But Are We Secure?

How much technology do you carry around with you on a daily basis?

For myself, I always have my smartphone and tablet with me. Occasionally I carry around a laptop too.

Now think about all the free Wi-Fi or Hotspots that you use with those devices…. at work… when travelling… at Starbucks or your favorite coffee shop… at hotels and conferences.  We have become a society that needs to be plugged in and constantly connected.

(If you look at the Wi-Fi settings on your smartphone you can see all the saved Wi-Fi networks that you have saved and previously connected to.)

Do you ever think about your online security and privacy when using these ‘Free’ spots?

Most people don’t even bat an eye and connect to any free Wi-Fi spot that they come across. I used to do that too, without thinking about the repercussions that it may have on my online security and privacy. Why would I? I am not ‘important’ enough to hack.  After reading several stories, (you can read an interesting article here about how criminals can suck out information from your smartphone through public Wi-Fi), and hearing about friends’ accounts being comprised I changed my way of thinking.

Check out this video: The Great Wi-Fi Experiment

What can you do to protect yourself online? Never connect to public Wi-Fi again?

That is not an option for me – my work requires me to attend conferences and even my blog endeavors have me connecting when I am out and about for various reasons.

So I was thrilled that I was asked to participate as a brand ambassador for F-Secure Freedome.

Freedome is a combination of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service and malware protection for your iOS or Android device.  (A VPN is a secure, encrypted connection between you and another computer or Internet device).

App Icon:

It is so easy to set up and use that your grandmother or a 5 year old could do it. It has a built in tutorial and each feature has an easy to access “How does this work?” explanation. After you download the app, you turn it on by tapping on the center of the screen.  You will get a prompt to trust this application and then the protection is on. That’s it – it’s really that simple.  And you are up and running the VPN that makes you “invisible” and “untrackable.”

F-Secure Freedome encrypts your traffic, it has no backdoors, and it does not log, share or sell your data.

When it is on, and protecting you, you will see a little key icon in the upper left hand corner of the notification bar.

When you have the app open you can touch any of the circular rings (F-Secure Freedome calls them layers), to view the different layers of protection: traffic protected, sites blocked, tracking attempts blocked and how many apps are secured. Freedome also includes an always-on free anti-virus that scans your device for malware, spyware and other harmful apps.

Freedome will also show you a tally of how many sites try to track you. I love it! It shows me that it is working and that I am secure online.

Freedome is available for $5/month or $30/year. But I have a code that will give you a 90 day free trial.

Click here and use the code qsf257 to give it a try. Let me know how you like it and how many sites tried to track you.

Stay tuned for your chance to win an iPad Mini and a Free year of Freedome….

 

I am a brand ambassador for F-Secure Freedome. Good or bad, my reviews are honest with my readers best interest in mind.

Photo credit: Pixabay