The continued risks of unsecured public Wi-Fi and why users keep using it: Evidence from Japan

Many people today use public Wi-Fi networks but they harbor security and privacy risks. We investigated the extent of these risk today, and what factors influenced users to use the networks, adapting the design of a previous UK study, this time in Japan. We first set up an experimental open public Wi-Fi network at ll locations in downtown Nara and captured Internet traffic. From approximately 7.7 million packets captured from 196 unique mobile devices during a 150-hour experiment, we found private photos, emails, documents, and login credentials being transmitted without encryption - showing that many people use unsecured public Wi-Fi networks, and many applications do not encrypt data they send. We then examined why people use public Wi-Fi in a range of scenarios through a survey with 103 participants. We found that the desire to conserve mobile data allowance was linked to a risk-taking attitude, and use of unsecured public Wi-Fi, especially among participants with a low monthly data allowance. Gender and education also played a role; female participants and those with high school education were more likely to use public Wi-Fi.