Safe online behaviour alone can prevent digitally active travellers from trouble in both real and virtual worlds, says Amrita Chowdhury
Indian women have taken to travelling in large numbers. They go on trips encompassing work or vacation. They journey with families, friends, work colleagues or even alone. The internet and mobile connectivity offer a modicum of support, allowing women travellers to stay connected and feel secure that a well-wisher is just a call or a chat away.
But women travellers need to be careful in their online habits as well. Cyber crimes are on the rise and women can be especially vulnerable. It’s not just a nameless faceless hacker who can cause mayhem. You don’t know who in your virtual world of friends or friends of friends is waiting to harm you. Neither are the dangers confined to the online space. Behind every digital voyeur or hacker is a live person. So the perils and pitfalls can spill over into the real world as well. Here is a set of safe online behaviours for the digitally active woman traveller.
Don’t post travel plans on social media: Yes, you’ve been waiting for that holiday for ages and can’t wait to proclaim to all that you are off to an exotic destination. Even if you have been careful about your privacy settings, you don’t know if your friend who comments on this post has the same degree of privacy. Miscreants are on the lookout for such information and you may just come back home to find your valuables missing and your home ransacked. If you have left the home locked or the children alone with grandparents, advertise your trip once you are back home safe.
If you must post travel selfies, disable geo-tagging: Would today’s women travellers even remember Shah Rukh going K..K..Kiran and following the girl he loved all the way to SwitzerlandIJ That was before the advent of the internet. Today, our phones broadcast our location, down to the nearest latitude and longitude. How easy is it for an online stalker to follow you and catch you in a vulnerable position in some remote locationIJ Resist the temptation to post travel selfies, especially if you are travelling alone. At the very least, switch off the location tagging apps.
Beware of open wi fi hotspots in airports and cafes: Don’t we love the convenience of free and open wi fi in public spacesIJ The trouble is, so do cyber criminals. They are on the lookout in such open spaces, on these untracked networks. They lurk on the sidelines, ready to hack into your machine or access your passwords or steal your data.
Beware of credit card scammers in touristy hubs: Sure you want to drive a bargain in that cute curio shop in an off street or buy duty-free goods at some obscure Asian airport. But be careful. It is a simple few thousand rupee machine that can be used to replicate the magnetic stripe of your credit card and your duplicated card can be used for spurious transactions. Europe has moved to the safer chip-and-pin card but many countries still accept the swipe cards. It need not be a rogue shopkeeper, sometimes the machine can be compromised and some hidden hacker could then use your details.
Stay away from using hotel wi fi: The true sceptic travels with her own modem. But the rest like the ease of using the hotel internet connection. Even more so when it is free or included in the room rate. Despite being password protected, it is an easy password that anyone in the hotel’s IT and maintenance staff is aware of. So anyone can use a compromised connection to steal your data.
Your business could be targeted: Business travellers must be especially careful. Hacker gangs such as Dark Hotel (which operates in Asian business capitals) track travelling executives from specific companies. You need to make just one mistake — access an unprotected network or use weak passwords on your laptop or smart phone or even leave the Bluetooth on in your mobile device. These hackers are simply scanning and waiting to steal important business or marketing data.
Read the name of the network provider carefully: Scammers create spurious websites with just one letter changed, which can be especially confusing for travellers. For example, adding one letter to the name of a local internet service provider or phone company can get many hapless travellers to connect to this fake site, which then quickly injects malware into their machine.
Protect your data in case of theft: Skip your usual device if you can while travelling and use a loaner or a different device which does not have all your data. Change your passwords before travelling. Don’t leave your devices in the hotel or at a café table while you order food at the counter. But in the worst case, when your device gets stolen, you need to ensure your personal data and account information or your business details don’t get misused. Using biometric password protection is helpful for laptops. Install mobile security apps that allow you to locate, lock or possibly wipe the data from the stolen phone. Of course, if you have switched off your GPS, then the location app will not work. If you use online banking or mobile banking or credit card transactions on your devices, you should inform your bank and credit company immediately.
Be aware, alert and updated: If your eyes glaze over every time you see a cyber safety article, you must be extra careful. You may have taken to using devices and being socially connected like a swan to water. It is up to you to update your security features and inform yourself of the perils. Don’t hide behind the false argument that girls don’t like or understand technology.