Travelling back from Asia? Surfshark warns against the silent data collection of the most popular local travel apps

Date:
Sat, 09 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Description:
Surfsharks latest research reveals that the most popular travel apps in Asia are real data hoarders

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Surfshark has released new research on data collection in Asian travel apps It found that 97% of apps
may collect and track user data It also became clear that tracking continues even after you return home If you are travelling to Asia, you might already know the trip requires digital preparation, downloading local apps for taxis, food delivery, and maps, as the ones 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 continue
well after passport control, potentially exposing you to constant monitoring, third-party data harvesting, and data breaches. You may like Yandex's analytics tool found in 16 of the most downloaded free VPN apps in Russia here's what it means for your privacy The price of transparency: What Surfshark's data request reveals about its collection policies Major Russian Android apps know who's using a VPN, digital rights group warns

This is the warning coming from Surfshark, one of the best VPNs , which recently carried out an in-depth analysis of 65 super-popular essential
travel apps in Asia and found that a shocking 97% of them (63) may collect user data and 72% (47) could use it for tracking purposes - even after you
are back home. Travellers beware! Amongst the most popular apps reviewed were Kakao Talk, Revolut, and Baidu Translate.

Surfshark focused on the general types of data collected, the reasons given for processing the data, and data tracking practices by reviewing publicly available information on the Apple App Store.

Unsurprisingly, more than half of essential travel apps collect more data
than needed, taking 2 data types on average in addition to 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, 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 showing that the former collects 27 out of 35 types of data, whilst the latter collects only 4. What to read next Surfshark launches HeyPolo, a privacy-first location sharing app to kill "always-on" tracking Investigation: over 75% of Android VPNs fail basic transparency tests The
best travel VPN the best ways to secure your trip abroad

Finally, apps collect more types of data in some countries than others. Thailand and the Philippines are at the top of the list, while South Korea is below average, featuring apps Metro Istanbul and TCDD that do not collect any user data. A privacy gamble The situation becomes worrying when you consider how many apps the average tourist might download before setting off.

Based on the TravelReddi travel platform, anyone travelling to Japan or China should download between 26 and 22 apps: a figure 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 issue, however, is what happens after the holidays, as people usually forget to delete these apps, which continue to track your location via GPS or might be involved in data breaches, sometimes without you even realising it.

The VPN provider highlighted how a widely used Canadian coffee app continued to track users locations even after it had closed, or how inactive accounts
on a well-known US parking app contributed to a data breach in 2021 that affected 21 million users. How to stay safe While travelling across countries is certainly an amazing experience, your trip to Asia might not be worth
these hidden costs.

Surfshark reminds users of the importance of downloading only trustworthy apps, using them only when necessary, checking app permissions in your phone settings, and deleting these apps immediately after your trip to avoid inadvertently sharing sensitive data.

And, of course, the best travel VPNs will always be a valuable ally, alerting you to any data breaches wherever you are, ensuring you have an unforgettable trip but only in a good way. Today's best Surfshark deals +3 months free Surfshark 24 Months 1.49 /mth View at Surfshark Surfshark 12 Months 2.59 /mth View at Surfshark Surfshark 1 Month 12.29 /mth View at Surfshark



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-services/travelling-back-from-asia-surfshark -warns-against-the-silent-data-collection-of-the-most-popular-local-travel-app s


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)