Holiday Travel Data Shared Widely, Increasing Privacy Risks for Travelers
WASHINGTON — During the holiday travel season, millions of Americans face not only the usual stresses of crowded airports and costly flights but also significant privacy risks as their personal data is collected and shared extensively by travel companies, officials said.
Airlines, hotels, booking platforms, loyalty programs and travel apps gather a wide range of sensitive information from travelers, including full names, home addresses, passport details, travel itineraries, device data, and even shopping habits. This data is often shared with advertisers, analytics firms, data brokers and numerous unnamed partners, according to cybersecurity experts.
The holiday period is a peak time for such data collection due to the surge in travel-related activities like booking flights, reserving hotel rooms, and checking travel apps. Each action generates trackable data points such as email addresses, phone numbers, date of birth, IP addresses, and location information.
Travelers may assume their information remains confidential within the companies they book with, but in reality, the data is frequently sold or shared beyond the original service providers. Some companies use this information to profile travelers, assessing how often they travel, their spending potential, and categorizing them as “high-value” targets.
This extensive data sharing creates vulnerabilities that scammers exploit, especially during the busy holiday season. Travelers have reported receiving fraudulent communications that appear legitimate, including fake flight cancellation texts, phishing emails resembling hotel confirmations, bogus baggage fee requests, counterfeit TSA PreCheck renewal notices, and urgent re-verification messages.
Scammers leverage the stress and urgency travelers experience, combined with access to personal data, to craft convincing attacks. Cybersecurity specialists advise travelers to take proactive steps to protect their information, such as removing personal data from broker sites and using aliases when possible.
The risks extend to foreign-owned apps and platforms, which may harvest personal data without travelers’ full awareness. Experts recommend vigilance in managing privacy settings and scrutinizing the permissions granted to travel-related applications.
As holiday travel continues to increase, awareness of these privacy risks and protective measures is crucial to safeguarding personal information from misuse and fraud.
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