A cybersecurity company is warning travellers to be wary of what they bring home with them on their mobile phones.
An analysis by Surfshack of 65 essential travel apps for Asia across categories such as food, rides, maps and transit, messaging, money, and translate found that 97% may collect user data and 72% may use it for tracking.
This data is typically used for targeted advertising, advertising measurement, or sharing data collected from the app about a particular end user or device with data brokers.
"When people travel, they download various local apps for transport, food delivery, or communication, and later stop using them,” says Miguel Fornes, information security manager at Surfshark.
“However, these apps often remain installed on the device and continue collecting data, including location information and usage patterns, and in some cases, this data may be shared with third parties for advertising or research purposes.”
Fornes wants travellers to be made aware of the risks of not deleting unwanted apps.
“Our phones have become digital pantries where we store apps rather than food. After returning from a trip, much like clearing out expired food from a pantry, users should review installed apps, remove those that are no longer needed, and check app permissions in their phone settings, especially access to location services.
“In general, because every single application expands your vulnerable 'attack surface', the less data you share and the fewer apps you install, the smaller your digital exposure and privacy risk, ultimately keeping your device clean and free of digital hoarding,” Fornes added.