Top travel apps collect user data without permission
From Booking.com to Airbnb to Hilton to Radisson, travel apps are exploiting user data, often without telling them
Booking.com, MakeMyTrip and HotelTonight excel at data collection. A recent study found that all of the travel apps tested track your location, with half, including Booking.com, not disclosing it.
Key takeaways
- Access to data: Cybernews discovered that travel apps have built-in permissions that allow developers to access sensitive information on users' devices, including location, contacts, camera, microphone, and SMS messages;
- Beyond booking: While primarily used to book hotels and arrange transfers, some apps can read SMS messages and change device settings, and 14 out of 22 travel apps tested have access to your device's camera(!);
- Location tracking: Every app tested had access to the user's exact location, including latitude and longitude coordinates - meaning they know also where you live and work. Many of them chose to keep this information private.
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