expat network

How To Protect Your Privacy While Accessing Global Content Abroad

In 2025, all travellers and expats need to understand the significant privacy risks when accessing content from home or abroad. Cybercrime is a huge and growing threat right now, with attackers using increasingly advanced tactics and technologies. Travellers are at risk as they often do not have the same robust security they have at home, so this post will show you how to protect your privacy while accessing global content abroad. Interested? Keep reading to find out more.

Understand the Privacy Risks of Using Public or Foreign Networks

First, you need to understand the privacy risks of connecting to public or foreign networks. While it is convenient to have free public Wi-Fi in places like hotels, cafes, and airports, and foreign mobile networks, you will find that these are often unsecured and preyed on by hackers. This means that using these connections can lead to data interception, tracking, and region-based monitoring.

In 2025, a number of trends have emerged in this area to be aware of. These include geo-restricted content blocks, which can stop you from accessing content from back home, and data scraping – this is the automated process of extracting data from websites and other sources.

Use Secure Tools to Protect Your Data When Accessing Global Content

The good news for travellers and expats is that there are ways to protect yourself online when accessing global data. Using a VPN is one of the best methods as this creates a secure connection, encrypts data, and masks your IP address, allowing you to securely access content from home. You can get a VPN for iPhone that will allow you to easily do this on your smartphone. Key features to look out for include a kill switch, no-log policies, and high-speed servers.

You can also enhance security with encrypted DNS, multi-factor authentication on accounts, and secure browsers. By taking a few small steps, you can safeguard your sensitive information, access content from around the world, and browse the web with confidence.

Follow Safe Browsing Practices to Keep Your Information Private

It is important to have the right tools in place, but you must still follow safe browsing practices to keep your data safe. This means avoiding personal transactions on public Wi-Fi, keeping operating systems and software up to date, disabling location tracking, and clearing cookies before accessing global content services. In 2025, it is also recommended that you review app permissions and use a password manager to store and manage your different passwords.

It is important for expats and travellers to be aware of the risks of accessing global content online, especially with the rise in cybercrime in recent times. By implementing the right tools and adopting best practices for using the internet abroad, travellers can access global content safely, protect their data, and browse with confidence each day.

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.