AnchorFree, one the world’s largest free Wi-Fi network communities, on Thursday announced its survey results on wireless Net access usage and security.
The study was commissioned by AnchorFree and conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive. Findings showed 51 percent of U.S. adults have connected to the Internet wirelessly, and 63 percent of these adults have connected via a free public “hot spot.” Forty-three percent of the latter believed they were using a “somewhat secure” connection.
Few free public hot-spot users expressed concern about their online privacy when using such connections: Only 26 percent of respondents either were concerned or very concerned. Half said they were only somewhat concerned, and one in five is not at all concerned.
Hot spots are locations within public wireless access points where users can connect laptops or PDAs using standard WLAN or Wi-Fi technology—often found near airports, cafes, and libraries.
“What this research revealed is that consumers are only vaguely aware of the mammoth security issues surrounding public Wi-Fi hot spots,” says David Gorodyansky, president and co-founder of AnchorFree. “Consumers are ‘sitting ducks’ while using public hot spots, as hackers can easily ‘hijack’ the network and spy on unsuspecting Web surfers, stealing their identity information.”
The Net survey was conducted as part of an educational campaign sponsored by AnchorFree. The company aims at providing free wireless access to PC and Mac users, but it advises consumers to protect themselves with online public logins. Surfers are offered a free security HotSpot Shield download from AnchorFree that creates a secure online session through a virtual private network.
“Some of the local municipalities launching free regional Wi-Fi access are offering one-off security solutions to consumers, but they only work with PCs and are specific to an individual area,” says Gorodyansky. “AnchorFree’s HotSpot Shield works to protect consumers at any public hot spot—for both Mac and PC users alike.”
AnchorFree’s network consists of more than 10,000 wireless hot spots in more than 2,400 cities across the U.S. and worldwide. The online survey was conducted between Aug. 8-10 among 2,337 U.S. adults age 18 years or older.
Wireless Internet users can download AnchorFree’s free HotSpot Shield software for Macs and PCs at AnchorFree.com.
