Can Android phones restrict background syncing to secure WiFi connections?

Question

Context:

• T-mobile G1
• CyanogenMod
• No data plan

WiFi is available for free in many places, including my home, local libraries, and even at least 1 doctor's office. However, not all of them are secure. While I don't mind using insecure networks for Google Maps or simple Google searches, I don't want to transmit my Google account infomration/e-mails/contact list/etc. in the clear.

Is there a way to keep the phone from doing this?

Incidentally, I really don't want to turn off background sync completely because that would defeat the point of having a phone that's (more or less) always up to date.

Answer 1

In general, you should never assume that any internet connection is secure. Not even if you owned the hotspot. Internet is built under the assumption that intermediary links are unreliable and not necessarily trustworthy (not even your service provider or the backbone operators should be considered trustworthy). That's why we have developed various authentication and encryption protocols which can ensure secure communication through these untrustworthy channels.

In short, use HTTPS or SSL when accessing informations that you don't want anyone snooping on and do not use apps that do not use HTTPS/SSL. Gmail always uses SSL when communicating with Google servers, although last time I checked not for Calendar or Contacts, though this may have changed since then.