Visibility on public hotspots

This is sort of a noob question, but......
I'm in my public library the other day, on their free hotspot, when I suddenly notice several other computers showing up in Finder. I can't log onto any of them, but how do I keep my own machine from showing up on theirs? I have File Sharing turned on for use at home; do I need to disable this when in public? Is there a way to mask my presence on a public network?

Hi Robert.
1. turn off any remote or file sharing in System preferences (if you have to have it turned on at all times, set a secure password for your account via the File sharing [ OPTIONS ] button , and use share files using AFP so only you can share between Mac computers.
2. Use the firewall facility in OS X , System Preferences, Security , Firewall, Start - Advanced - Tick Enabled Stealth Mode - that way no other computers on the network can see you in their Finder/network neighbourhood...
The moment you turn on the firewall, your machine will disappear from the network finder even if you're file sharing - I tested this and confirm that it works over a secure /open Wifi network at home..
You may want to turn off firewall in your mac when at home on the local lan.
Rgds
dan

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