The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) and the city of Los Angeles have introduced the ‘LA Secure’ app to help protect users while using public Wi-Fi on the transport system. The app is free and available on Apple iOS and Android platforms. LA Secure was built by Zimperium – a mobile security firm based in Dallas. It is similar to NYC Secure and Michigan Secure, which are already in use.
“Providing a safe and secure environment for Los Angeles County’s 10 million residents to live and work is becoming just as important online as it has always been offline,” said Hilda L. Solis, L.A. Metro Board chair. “As L.A. County continues to expand public Wi-Fi access, including on its entire fleet of Metro buses, LA Secure offers an industry-leading technology to ensure all the activity they conduct on their mobile devices remains safe, private and secure.”
When LA Secure is downloaded and installed, it alerts a device user to threats in real time and offers information on what to do about those threats.It also provides phishing protection against malicious links and enables people to check their safety and legitimacy before clicking on them.
“We are excited to offer the gift of online security to our customers this holiday season. We see LA Secure as another opportunity to provide greater access and equity for our transit customers, many of whom are low-income, do not have their own access to Internet services and depend greatly on public Wi-Fi services,” said Metro CEO Stephanie N. Wiggins. “We believe everyone deserves to have a secure online experience on our system and look forward to promoting privacy protections available through this important program.”