- Surfshark has released new research into data collection in Asian travel apps
- It found that 97% of apps can collect and track user data
- It also became clear that the tracking continues even after you return home
If you’re traveling to Asia, you may already know that the trip requires digital preparation, downloading local taxi apps, food delivery and maps, as those available in the UK may not work there.
However, these essential travel apps are just as data-hungry as your local options, if not worse.
Silent data collection and tracking often continues long after passport control, potentially exposing you to constant surveillance, third-party data collection and data breaches.
That’s the warning from Surfshark, one of the top VPNs, who recently conducted an in-depth analysis of 65 super-popular ‘essential travel apps’ in Asia and found that a shocking 97% of them (63) can collect user data, and 72% (47) could use it for tracking purposes – even after you’re back home.
Travelers beware!
Among the most popular apps reviewed were Kakao Talk, Revolut and Baidu Translate.
Surfshark focused on the general types of data collected, the reasons for processing the data and data tracking practices by reviewing publicly available information on the Apple App Store.
Not surprisingly, more than half of essential travel apps collect more data than necessary, taking on average 2 types of data beyond those required for their functionality.
Self-promotion and third-party advertising were some of the reasons for data collection.
The latter is particularly disturbing: Over half of these apps linked data, including device IDs and user profiles, to third-party data, which is usually used for targeted advertising or sharing your data with data brokers.
Although they offer the same services, some apps are significantly more intrusive than others. Surfshark compared Grab and Rapido – two apps in the same “Ride” category – and found that the former collects 27 out of 35 types of data, while the latter only collects 4.
Finally, apps collect more types of data in some countries than others. Thailand and the Philippines top the list, while South Korea is below average, with apps – Metro Istanbul and TCDD – collecting no user data.
A privacy game
The situation becomes worrying when you consider how many apps the average tourist can download before leaving.
Based on the TravelReddi travel platform, anyone traveling to Japan or China should download between 26 and 22 apps: a number that exponentially increases the risk of vast amounts of data being harvested and exposed, given that these countries welcomed around 69 million tourists last year alone.
Surfshark warns that the main problem, however, is what happens after the holidays, as people usually forget to delete these apps, which continue to track your location via GPS or can be involved in data breaches, sometimes without you even realizing it.
The VPN provider highlighted how a widely used Canadian coffee app continued to track users’ locations even after it was shut down, or how inactive accounts on a well-known US parking app contributed to a 2021 data breach that affected 21 million users.
How to stay safe
While traveling across countries is certainly a great experience, your trip to Asia may not be worth these hidden costs.
Surfshark reminds users of the importance of only downloading trusted apps, using them only when necessary, checking app permissions in your phone settings, and deleting these apps immediately after your trip to avoid accidentally sharing sensitive data.
And of course, the best travel VPNs will always be a valuable ally, alerting you to data breaches wherever you are, ensuring you have an unforgettable trip – but only in a good way.
