Public Wi-Fi has long been risky, with many establishments failing to put up strong enough guardrails to protect users who hop on. It recently got even riskier to use, with hackers now targeting airports and hotels in an attempt to steal credentials and private data. When you’re on public Wi-Fi, you never know who might be eavesdropping—malicious users can intercept your data, see what you’re doing, and even install malware.
That’s why it’s important to take security measures when using public Wi-Fi, and one such measure is to use a VPN. A VPN routes your traffic through its own servers, effectively masking your activity and preserving your privacy. VPNs also add a layer of security between you and hackers.
Opera was the first major browser to include a free VPN, initially launching this feature back in April 2016. But now, that same built-in feature is now automatically enabled on public Wi-Fi. For it to work, you’ll have to go to settings and enable “Always use VPN on public Wi-Fi”—but be aware that this feature is being rolled out so you may not see it right away.
Further reading: Big reasons to switch from Chrome to Opera