Warning to Googlemail / Gmail users.

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Extract from a PC Pro article:

"Customers who compose email, documents, spreadsheets, presentations and calendar plans from a public connection face a very real risk of data theft and snooping, even by unsophisticated attackers," warns an open letter the group sent to Google CEO, Eric Schmidt.

"Few users know the risks they face when logging into Google's web applications from an unsecured network, and Google's existing efforts are little help," it adds.

Although Google offers HTTPS encryption in GMail, the feature is not active by default. Most users are unaware of the risks involved in unsecured communication online, and GMail's design makes it hard for people to learn, says the group.

Google responded quickly to the criticism, explaining in a blog post that it is looking at ways of rolling out encryption to all users - a feature that most other free webmail services lack entirely.

To turn on HTTPS login to GMail, click on settings in the top-right, and scroll to the bottom of the page. The last option on the page allows you to set GMail to always use HTTPS, no matter where you login from.