A new trend has recently gone viral on social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit: travelers are wrapping their passports in aluminum foil before going on holiday. People are sharing this tip because they fear that thieves could secretly scan their personal data from a distance while walking past them in crowded places.
Modern passports, such as German electronic passports, contain a small wireless RFID chip. This chip stores personal details, including the holder's photo, name, height, and fingerprints, to help border officials quickly check identity documents. Because the chip communicates using radio waves, some travelers worry that criminals with scanner devices could steal their information wirelessly.
However, cybersecurity experts say that wrapping passports in foil is unnecessary and useless. To read the chip's data, a scanning device must be in immediate proximity to the document—virtually touching it. In normal travel situations, strangers cannot read data from a passport resting inside a bag or pocket.
In addition, repeatedly wrapping and unwrapping passports causes unnecessary delays at border control points. Experts emphasize that strict data protection laws already safeguard passport information, meaning the viral trend offers nothing more than a false sense of security.