Those who are old and can remember to travel before the age of smartphones and mobile internet, we already know that we are in a very good situation these days. You can use the comparison website to find the best flight, choose among hundreds of hotels on a single booking site, get tickets to your phone instead of picking them up in person, checking online, ordering a ride and leaving.
Of course, all of this comes with drawbacks and trade-offs.
Most people’s biggest concern is “hacking”, which when you master it does mean “robbing in ways I don’t know much.” But it’s unlikely that despite the usual precautions you take One of the risks that occur.
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Danger is rare.
When it comes to saying personal information is more valuable than oil, bad actors are often interested in putting their personal data as much as yours. A “bad actor” doesn’t have to be a guy with a hood, bent over on his laptop behind the coffee shop.
For example, in 2024, classaction.org Reported suspicion Among major cruise companies, consumers’ data is illegally shared with Facebook. Cruise Lines Royalcaribbean.com, CelebrityCruises.com, princess.com and hollandamerica.com are suspected of collecting personal information through sneaky “metatracking pixels” and sending it to Facebook without the user’s consent.
Booking.com is a website that most of us use at one time or once, and there are quite a few problems. The site has been battling a wave of hacker attacks designed to deceive customers; it faces charges that are not enough to protect its customers, and even fines Failed to disclose Data breach.
The data collected from these events usually ends up circulating online, being added to something that already existed before, just waiting for someone or some company to use it.
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What can you do to protect your personal data
Avoiding cruise routes and booking sites altogether is hardly a practical solution when you need to book a cruise or accommodation. There are some steps you can take to significantly reduce your risk when booking flights, cruises, vehicles and accommodation.
1. Invest in personal data deletion services: While there is no service that promises to remove all data from the Internet, it is great to have a deletion service if you want to keep monitoring and automatically delete information from hundreds of sites. Check out my preferred data deletion service here.
2. Use personal safety precautions: Do not log in to anything with your social media account. Log in with your email instead and make sure that only email addresses reserved for such situations.
3. Do homework online: Search online for booking sites, cruises or travel agencies, and be aware of recent reports of scams or other issues.
4. Check the company’s reputation carefully: Check classAction.orgthis Better Business Bureau and TrustPilot Specifically. This will help you gain a comprehensive insight into your company’s history, customer experience and potential issues.
5. Verify communication legitimacy: Whenever you receive a call, email or text message from the booking service, first check your account directly and then contact the company via the channels listed officially (rather than social media).
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More ways to protect yourself while traveling: Here are ways to stay safe
Here are some “usual precautions” that can protect you from being “hacked” while traveling.
1. Update all applications and operating systems before getting off: All of these security patches are even more important when you travel. You want Download and install all pending updates Make sure you have the latest security protections at least 24-48 hours before departure and give yourself time to resolve any potential updates related issues that may arise.
2. Lock everything: Use powerful, unique passwords and reliable Password manager Track them.
3. Open Two-factor authentication Where to be available: Priority to using Authenticator applications takes precedence over SMS-based code. This provides safer verification because authenticator applications are less susceptible to SIM card exchange attacks and interceptions than text message-based authentication. choose Well-known Authenticator ApplicationThis generates time-based one-time passwords that are often changed and tied directly to your device.
4. Keep location service closed: NFC, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi should also be turned off when not using them. This will make your battery last longer for the effect.
5. dark: Don’t share news about your trip publicly until you come back. Avoid posting information about your vacation on social media or keeping blogs about your adventures, as criminals can use this information to piece together snapshots of your life.
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6. Restrict social media usage: Scammers and hackers often use social media to collect personal information and target travelers. To stay safe, avoid sharing travel details publicly and use privacy-centric messaging apps signal Stay in touch with family and friends.
7. Use a privacy-focused browser: You should consider using a browser Brave or Firefox With privacy extensions. Enabling the “Don’t Track” setting and taking advantage of private/invisible mode can provide an additional layer of digital protection.
8. Disable automatic Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections: Disable automatic connection to the network and manually select and verify network settings before connecting. This prevents your device from accidentally joining potentially unsecured networks.
9. Use encrypted messaging and email: Protect your private communications by using services that provide end-to-end encryption for both Message delivery and e-mail. These platforms ensure that your data is secure from unauthorized access and have features such as non-user, multi-factor authentication and tracking protection. Check out my reviews on the best secure and private email services here.
10. Travel with minimal digital equipment: Consider with a “travel-only” phone or laptop and have minimal personal data.
11. Be cautious about public charging stations: Use Public USB charging port That might be possible Compromise your device. Instead, carry one Portable phone charger With you.
12. Monitor your account: Set up transaction alerts on your financial account and use a credit card with strong fraud protection. Check your account regularly while traveling to quickly detect any suspicious activity.
13. Bring your own Internet access: Find one Local or international simulation,, Mobile hotspots And a trustworthy VPN (virtual private network) service During that time, you can’t help using public Wi-Fi. Using a VPN can enhance your privacy by encrypting internet traffic, which makes it harder for hackers and third parties to intercept your data, especially on public Wi-Fi. A VPN masks your IP address, helping to mask your location and online activities. While VPNs don’t directly prevent phishing emails, they reduce the exposure of your browsing habits and may use this data maliciously. With a VPN, you can safely access your email account from anywhere, even in areas with restrictive internet policies. For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPN to browse the network privately Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
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Kurd’s key points
There are a lot of great suggestions out there when avoiding public Wi-Fi while traveling and protecting your files. To stay safe, though, it is important to start thinking about your data privacy and data security before booking a trip. It doesn’t cost much to say everything, but it could have a huge impact on your trip in the coming years.
When will technology make your travel more stressful than easier? what happened? Let us write to us cyberguy.com/Contact.
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