The Transportation Security Administration may be best known for its security checkpoints at the airport, but the agency also tries to keep passengers safe in other ways, recently issuing a warning that all smartphone users should pay attention to, though an expert has issued an update for one part of that warning.
Earlier this summer, the TSA issued a warning for all smartphone users. The first part of the warning urged users to avoid plugging their phone directly into USB charging ports that are often in airport terminals. However, the second part of the warning went even further, urging travelers to avoid airport WiFi altogether.
"Don’t use free public WiFi, especially if you’re planning to make any online purchases. Do not ever enter any sensitive info while using unsecure WiFi," the TSA's post read.
However, using public WiFi at the airport might be simply unavoidable. The good news is that these days, public WiFi is mostly safe, according to some recent best practices provided by the FTC.
"In the past, if you used a public Wi-Fi network to get online, your information was at risk. That’s because most websites didn’t use encryption to scramble the data and protect it from hackers snooping on the network," the FTC wrote in its recent advisory.
"Today, most websites do use encryption to protect your information. Because of the widespread use of encryption, connecting through a public Wi-Fi network is usually safe."
That said, the FTC does have some best practices that travelers should follow when they do use public WiFi.
"Create and use strong passwords and turn on two-factor authentication when it’s available," the FTC advisory reads.
"If you use a computer to get online, make sure your security software, operating system, and internet browser are up to date. Update your phone’s operating system, too. And turn on automatic updates to keep up with the latest protections."
TSA Issues WiFi Warning to All Smartphone Users first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 24, 2025
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