In recent years, free WiFi has been all the rage in amenities for hotels, motels, libraries, dorms, and… fast food? Consumers love their laptops and want to take them with them when they travel, work out of the office, and, apparently when they eat at Burger King. In the future, free WiFi will just be one of those things we expect when we go to a hotel, like a remote control or the Gideon Bible.

So when you’re out enjoying your juicy burger and keeping updated on the WOW message boards, how do you know if the WiFi you’re borrowing is safe? Well, the short answer is: you don’t. We would like to think that if a large corporation is in charge of the free WiFi hotspot, we’re protected. Hopefully that is true. But when you’re using someone else’s stuff, you’re taking a risk, pure and simple.

The best way to protect yourself is abstinence. But I’m going to guess that if you’re reading this, you’re more interested in using the free WiFi and limiting the risks. The first clue to whether you’re being protected is the log-on. This can be seen as rather annoying—having to identify yourself, possibly create a new username, password, register, etc.—when all you want to do is open your browser and type in an address. But identification of who is using the network is crucial. Otherwise it’s like opening up the doors and letting anyone in, to do anything they want—hey, isn’t that the same principle behind increased security at malls, schools, airports, and the like? Yes, it is.

Am I seriously comparing school shooting and terrorism tragedies to free WiFi hotspots? Yes. You’ve seen how those events have changed things—tighter security, locked doors that require one to be buzzed in, and citizens urged to report suspicious activity and packages left unattended. Knowing who is using something is important! So expect for some basic information to be asked of you when you log on to a WiFi network outside of your home.

Look for a good TOS (Terms of Service). I’m not going to bore you with the obvious thing that most of us don’t do anyway—reading it—but chances are good that without a TOS, you’re just giving your personal information away to a criminal or at least making it available for one looking for an opportunity.

Make sure your computer’s antivirus software is up-to-date so if anything tries to sneak in on your free ride, your personal protection will catch it. Keep common sense things in mind—if you wouldn’t open something or click on something in the privacy of your own home, certainly do not open it just because you’re in a free WiFi spot and you’re curious. Remember: curiosity killed the kitty!

Finally, when you’re done “enjoying” (i.e. being completely paranoid that you’re going to discover something has managed to sneak in, as soon as you get home and re-establish with your home network) your free WiFi, log off. Let me say it again because, though it’s obvious, it is often overlooked since so many home users with broadband connections don’t ever do it: log off! Terminate your connection with the WiFi and power down, folks. And don’t let ketchup get stuck between the keys! It’s a you-know-what to clean up….