Air Canada’s iOS app and other travel apps secretly record your iPhone screen

Many notable hotel, airline and retail iOS apps record users’ iPhone screens without first seeking consent, according to a recent TechCrunch investigation.

The process in question usually involves a third-party analytics gathering company that embeds its technology in the app’s code. TechCrunch’s comprehensive investigation cites a specific analytics firm called Glassbox as being used by most travel apps for this purpose.

Glassbox’s technology records every action the user takes while using the app, including any screenshots that are snapped. The report specifically mentions Air Canada’s app, as well as other travel sites recording sensitive information, such as passport numbers, credit card and other personal data.

In the case of Air Canada’s app, the airline isn’t masking Glassbox’s files when they’re sent from the user’s mobile device to the analytics firm’s servers. This means that the transfer process is potentially susceptible to a man-in-the-middle style security threat.

In August of 2018, Air Canada reported that its mobile app suffered a data breach, resulting in the profile information of 20,000 users, including passport numbers and other sensitive data, being leaked. It’s unclear if the use of Glassbox’s analytics tracking tool is the cause of this security breach but there is a possibility it could have been.

TechCrunch says most of the travel apps that implement Glassbox’s technology do not disclose that they are doing so in their privacy policy. Further, the apps also don’t seek user consent regarding screen recording.

Some of the apps mentioned in the publication’s report include Air Canada, Abercrombie & Fitch, Expedia, Hotels.com, Singapore Airlines and more.

Source: TechCrunch

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