Beware, travel apps are hungry for your data – here’s how to protect your privacy
As you prepare for a beach vacation or a visit to the Olympic Games in Paris, beware: travel apps are among the most data-hungry and privacy-unfriendly apps.
Cybersecurity experts at NordVPN, one of the best VPN providers on the market, have discovered that Booking, Airbnb and FlightRadar24 ask for some of the most unnecessary permissions to access your device’s features. Simply put, they want access to your data even if it’s not related to performing their tasks, including some of the most sensitive information like your biometric data.
All of this is bad for your privacy, especially when you consider the ever-increasing threat of data breaches involving major companies. Booking.com, for example, was the target of a major phishing campaign last year. While it’s unthinkable to plan your vacation without one of these apps, there are still some actions you can take to protect your privacy when using them.
Travel apps: “More than 28% of consents are excessive”
“Travel apps are among the most eager to access device features that are not necessary for their performance. Collected data can be used against the user’s interests and lead to privacy issues that are much more serious than targeted advertising,” says Adrianus Warmenhoven, cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN.
According to researchers, each travel app asks for an average of 23 device permissions, including access to your travel location, photos or videos. However, more than six of these permissions are unnecessary, as the application does not need such details for its functionality.
The travel category also proved particularly eager to gain access to your biometric data. This is a highly sensitive piece of information, as it relates to system-critical processes – think device unlocking, multi-factor authentication or online payments. On average, travel apps ask for nine special, dangerous and biometric permissions.
In addition to travel apps, social networks, health and lifestyle and navigation apps are some of the most unfriendly apps for data access and unnecessary permission requests. You can read the full findings from NordVPN’s research here.
How to Stay Safe When Using Travel Apps
Let’s face it, in today’s digitalized world it would be foolish to think that we can avoid some travel apps when planning or going on vacation. Yet, we can still do so, while protecting our privacy.
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A virtual private network (VPN) is also a very useful tool when you’re traveling. In addition to protecting your data and devices when you connect to unsecured public Wi-Fi, a travel VPN also lets you continue streaming all your favorite shows while you’re abroad.
As a rule of thumb, Warmenhoven advises download travel apps (and any other application for that matter) only through official stores or websitesThis is because, he explains, unofficial app stores don’t always have systems in place to check whether an app is safe before it’s published and available for download. Criminals are also notorious for using unsafe applications to spread malware attacks.
According to Warmenhoven you should also take the time to Familiarize yourself with the app’s privacy policy before you download it. He especially recommends checking what information the provider will record about you and share with third parties.
As we have seen, check your app’s data permissions is also crucial. “Users should always consider whether the app needs certain data to do its job before tapping ‘Accept,’ even if the app is developed by a well-known and trusted travel service provider,” said Warmenhoven, who suggested paying special attention to permissions such as camera, microphone, storage, location and contacts list.
You should avoid Automatically log in with social network accountsalso. If you do that, the app can collect information from the account and vice versa.
Finally, don’t forget to: delete apps you don’t useWhy risk your privacy for an application you don’t even use?