Q: I heard that it is not safe to connect to public wireless hot spots. Is that true?

A: The reason it is not safe to connect to public wireless hot spots is because other computers connected to the same hot spot are capable of eavesdropping on your network activities. For example, if you are reading e-mail and the transmission is not encrypted (scrambled), then it is possible for someone else to be reading your e-mail without you even realizing it. To keep your network activities safe from prying eyes, make sure that your connection is encrypted either by connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or by only connecting to Web sites that use encryption. Watch for the padlock symbol in your browser.