A recent post entitled Secure web-based email met with great response and a few reader clarifications. While that post has been updated, let's summarize the secure connection options for free web-based email, shall we?
Remember, "secure" web pages scramble human-readable words into hard-to-decipher data so that it's very difficult for others to listen in on your computer. Secure web pages have an address that start with https, not just http.
Google Gmail
Google is the most secure of all the popular free email services. A secure connection to Gmail is available at httpS://gmail.google.com, and that extra S will buy you secure login as well as secure email access. (The regular old S-less link will give you secure login and insecure email access.) Here's Google's official word on this.Yahoo! Mail
Yahoo Mail! transmits your login information in the background to an https page, but you can click on the "Secure" link to reach an https page to log into Yahoo! Mail first. Once you're logged in, sending and receiving your email happens over an insecure connection. More on this from Yahoo!.MSN Hotmail
Like Yahoo! Mail default, Hotmail transmits your login information securely (in the background, no visible https page) but then it will redirect you to an insecure connection to read your actual mail. More on this from MSN.HushMail
Lifehacker reader favorite Hushmail is not as big as the other three services, but Hushmail secures all your email information, is free, and even offers secure file sharing. Apparently security's pretty important over there at Hushmail.
Remember that secure web pages are generally slower than regular connections to the web, so use 'em only when you need them - like on open, public wireless networks, or when you're latched onto the neighbor's wifi.