Does outlook connector default to ssl?

[surfer100]

I would like to make sure that my email transmissions to and from my hotmail
account are secured by ssl.

I'm using outlook 2003 and outlook connector with my paid hotmail account.

Question: is the traffic to and from hotmail secured by ssl in outlook
connector?

If not, can I change the settings somehow?

Or do I need to change my connection to hotmail to pop 3 in order to get ssl
protection?

Thanks!