Stolen cell phone? See 7 tips for protecting data when traveling internationally

Traveling abroad is usually a source of joy for most tourists. However, some situations can stress out even the most relaxed of travelers, such as cell phone data leaks or the loss of an object.

“Not all countries in the world have legislation that requires the protection of personal data or information security aspects”, points out Filipe Ribeiro Duarte , coordinator of the Digital Law team at Martinelli Advogados.

With this in mind, experts in digital and information security offer simple tips that can make a difference when traveling abroad. Among them, they suggest avoiding public Wi-Fi networks and recommend keeping social networks private while you're away.

Check out 7 tips for protecting your cellular data when traveling internationally: 1. Cell phone backup

Daniel Molina , vice president of Latin America at technology company iProov, recommends backing up your phone to the cloud before traveling. If your phone is lost or damaged, photos, videos and contacts can be recovered.

2. Activate the tracker

Before traveling, Molina also recommends activating the “Find My Device” app, which works as a cell phone tracker. After all, if you lose your device, you can find out where it is. There are versions for iOS and Android .

3. Application update

Keeping your devices’ apps and operating systems up to date, whether iOS or Android, can help with security. According to Filipe Ribeiro Duarte, “many vulnerabilities are fixed in updates and traveling abroad can be a gateway for hackers.”

Molina reinforces the guidance and says that the updates bring security fixes . “Before getting on the plane, make sure that all your applications are on the latest version,” he explains.

4. Avoid public Wi-Fi networks

Experts advise avoiding public Wi-Fi networks with poor security or suspicious names. According to Ribeiro Duarte, it is worth giving preference to encrypted networks (WPA2 or WPA3), as they protect the data transmitted during internet use.

“Without this layer of security, criminals can intercept your data transmission, read it or redirect your connection to malicious websites,” explains Ribeiro Duarte.

He claims that hackers create fake Wi-Fi networks, so that when connecting to the public network, they can mirror the user's screen, as well as monitor or copy the victim's information.

5. Two-factor authentication

Enabling two-factor authentication to access your mobile device or apps, especially messaging apps like WhatsApp and email, can also help protect you.

“In the event of a cyber attack or loss of a cell phone, this layer can prevent greater losses,” says Filipe Ribeiro Duarte.

6. Check website security

Websites need to have a secure connection to use, but how do you check this? You need to check if the address starts with https:// and if there is a padlock next to the URL — which means the website address.

“If it doesn’t, the website doesn’t have adequate security elements and its use could be a trap for scammers, tracking or data leaks, especially for websites where the user can make online purchases”, explains the Digital Law specialist.

7. Keep social media private

At least during your trip, it's worth keeping your social media private . After all, many scammers track people in foreign countries based on the location of their posts.

“They try to scam family members or friends using the trip as a pretext to ask for transfers to pay for unexpected expenses or even supposed kidnappings,” highlights Ribeiro Duarte.

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