Tech

The dangers of having an eSIM: the risks of increasingly popular connectivity when traveling abroad

Experts point out the hidden side of electronic SIM cards, which have become so popular in recent years.

Update: Sep 4th, 2025 20:03 CEST

When we go beyond our country and bring our smartphone with us, things become less pleasant with our mobile carrier. If we travel to a country in Europe or Japan, the base rate adds up to a significant price, so we turn to alternatives such as prepaid eSIMs, which have become so popular in recent years. So much so that even Apple now sees it as the future.

However, we often don’t know what’s behind these cards. Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston have conducted in-depth research that has yielded some surprising results (reported by Variety). The security and privacy issues are obvious.

Security and privacy issues with eSIMs for travel come to light

Sometimes, these types of cards purchased tend to operate on networks other than those of the operators in the country where you are located. The article gives the example of an Italian citizen using an eSIM purchased for use in Brazil, whose IP address while there points directly to the Chinese network, specifically to the operator China Mobile. This means that your messages, browsing, and information are received and read by the Chinese company.

The dangers of having an eSIM: the risks of increasingly popular connectivity when traveling abroad

The processing of this data is completely different from what we see in Europe, a continent where many more restrictions have been placed on companies’ access to users. In China, they are much more lax. Therefore, eSIM sales companies tend to use the cheapest operators at the expense of not controlling their origin as much. Customers are also not usually informed of which operator will be used so that they can choose whether to be visible to that network.

If you’ve never used an eSIM before, you should know that they’re all the rage for those traveling outside the territory where your mobile plan covers roaming. Not all phones are compatible, and those that are allow you to keep your main SIM unchanged while plugging in the data from the prepaid SIM you’ve purchased.