4 Executive Travel Vulnerabilities You May be Overlooking
Learn how to minimize the impact of vulnerabilities like social media use, private jet tracking, and more
As an executive protection (EP) professional, you’re likely experiencing a rise in physical threats against your principal(s). You’re not alone.
According to Ontic’s State of Protective Intelligence Report, 8 out of 9 EPs say their companies are experiencing a dramatic increase in physical threat activities and expect those threats to grow in volume. Some causes behind the rise include geopolitics, racial divides, and permacrisis — a state where instability and insecurity are constant.
Because of the growing threat landscape, your travel security strategy likely addresses common vulnerabilities, like extreme weather or political protests. But have you considered what you might be missing? EP leaders across the country shared with us four frequently overlooked vulnerabilities in executive travel and how to address them.
These vulnerabilities are:
01
Social media posts from friends, family, or colleagues
02
LGBTQ+ discrimination
03
Unreported changes in travel plans/accommodations
04
Private jet tracking
Social media posts from friends, family, or colleagues
Traveling is exciting for most people, including a principal’s friends and family. Whether they are traveling alongside your protected individual or not, these close companions litter social media with pictures, real-time updates, and location pins. It’s fun for them but a headache for you.
Your marketing team can also inadvertently put principals at risk. Social media is a major component of any good marketing team’s strategy — especially when looking to build excitement for trade shows and other offsite events. But it can be easy for marketing teams to overlook the risks of sharing the exact locations of your team and executives.
“Without realizing it, companions post social media updates placing a principal at a [specific] location,” Lauren Hoy, Protection Intelligence Manager at Pinterest, said. “Many people who travel with the principal don’t realize they could expose them to a person of interest (POI).”
How to Address the Vulnerability
Gather a baseline of what’s visible
Executives don’t always realize that certain information is publicly available or someone wishes them harm. By gathering a baseline understanding of what your executive or their family typically shares online (like do they use location tags?) and what accounts they use, you can more easily provide the custom monitoring they need to stay safe.
Conduct regular employee training
Training employees on travel-safety best practices is another way to address the vulnerability. Hold quarterly company-wide briefings that include general safety protocols and social media best practices applicable to your protected individuals and their families.
“Give them very clear examples of the dos and don’ts. You can find examples of these things all over the internet. You just slap it on a one pager and say, please don’t do this. Please don’t geotag this. Please put that badge away,” Hoy said.
Collaborate across teams
Working with the communications and marketing departments can help your team overcome this threat while also maintaining marketing best practices. Define and agree upon protocols ahead of time. For example, you may decide not to use location tags or wait until 24 hours after an event to share a photo that identifies a location.
LGBTQ+ Discrimination
Hostile attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community are safety risks to keep on your radar. According to research from Booking.com, 59% of LGBTQ+ travelers have experienced discrimination while traveling.
Additionally, the travel company’s research reveals that a significant majority (82%) of LGBTQ+ travelers say they have had less-than-welcoming or uncomfortable experiences when traveling.
Pablo Weisz, senior manager of travel risk management at Amazon, explained the lack of visibility of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments to employees who travel.
“Many [employees] are unaware of discriminatory laws or norms that can put them at a higher risk when traveling,” Weisz said.
How to Address the Vulnerability
Highlight anti-LGTBQ+ laws
Laws vary from local, city, and state governments. The same goes for laws in foreign countries. You can share legal resources like Equaldex’s world map that shows laws targeting LGBTQ+ individuals based on country. For US-based travel, you can also share the Human Rights Campaign report that reviews the statewide laws that affect LGBTQ+ people.
Explain to the principal that they must follow the law regardless of whether they believe it is right or wrong.
Encourage personal research
Another essential step for LGBTQ+ travelers is to research the location they are visiting. The U.S. State Department and British FCO country reports are great resources for understanding the associated threat and risks to LGTBQ+ travelers. Whether your principals educate themselves or you provide them with briefs, understanding local cultural attitudes will help ensure their safety.
Register for STEP
If traveling outside of the country, register for the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP is a free service that sends you real-time alerts updates about health, weather, safety, and security in the country. It also alerts the U.S. embassy of your presence in the country, making it easier for them to contact you (or your principal) in the event of an emergency where you are.
Unreported Changes in Travel Plans or Accommodations
How often have you heard, “I can get the points!” or “It’s cheaper because I can use my points at this hotel.” Maybe you’ve said one of these phrases yourself.
According to research by ValuePenguine, 4 out of 10 consumers are members of a travel-related program. Because these programs foster loyalty, employees may choose a different flight, hotel, or event location other than what the company recommends — leading to unforeseen vulnerabilities.
For example, an employee or executive might change a pre-arranged accommodation to secure loyalty points, leaving you in the dark about where they’re staying or how they’re traveling there. This makes it more difficult for you to prepare for their trip and ensure their safety.
How to Address the Vulnerability
Set guidelines
Give your principals some freedom to make their own travel decisions while also ensuring safety by adding guidelines. Educate your principal(s) to pick well-known modes of transportation – public transportation, licensed taxi services, or company-approved drivers.
Also, encourage your principal(s) to choose a recognizable hotel chain. Larger companies typically implement higher security protocols than short- and long-term homestays (AirBnB, Vrbo, etc.).
Meet your principal where they are
Even when principals choose to deviate from your recommendations, you’re still required to keep them safe. Work with them to understand their preferred hotel or mode of transportation and conduct additional research on new potential threats. For example, if their preferred hotel is 15 blocks away from an event location, you now need to look into threats that could occur on the commute from the hotel to the event.
“It’s important to meet your travelers where they are and work with them since you’re responsible for their safety no matter where they stay,” Weisz said.
Maintain 24/7 contact
Schedule regular check-ins with your principal(s). A quick text, phone call, or email helps develop a pattern. A break in the pattern can be an early detection signal that something is wrong.
Also, provide an emergency hotline that they can use. Give them a number that gets them direct access to you and your team that is “always on.”
Private Jet Tracking
The evolution of technology and social media has made it easier than ever for average people to track private jets and share their locations in real-time with millions of followers.
Despite social media companies’ attempts to ban these accounts and even lawsuits from celebrities and public figures who have been tracked, EP professionals say that tracking private jets continues to be an issue.
“Many POIs will show up to private airports,” Glenn Kessler, director of U.S. security operations at Wells Fargo, said. “It’s critical to have an extra way out of the airport. Some CEOs are going to different jet services so they’re in a different jet every time, and their patterns are a bit more unpredictable.”
How to Address the Vulnerability
Monitor and communicate your risks
Monitor flight tracking services keyed to tail numbers as well as any associated social media accounts regularly. Assume you are being monitored and stalked by threat actors, paparazzi, and even nation-state intelligence services. It’s also important to ensure that the pilots, crew, and fixed base operators (FBOs) are aware of the issue.
Use trusted transportation vendors and implement back up plansI
Plan alternative routes for exiting the airport in the event of an incident. Relying on trusted transprotation vendors can also help mitigate risks associated with leaving the airport.
Perform regular security audits
Ask to review the jetliner’s incident reports. Scour the documents for potential vulnerabilities. Ensure the service follows the latest security best practices and regularly updates its technology.
Physical threats are rising and will continue to do so. As the Civil War era adage says, “A good defense is a good offense.” Take a proactive approach with Ontic’s comprehensive executive protection solution, which gives a full view of threats and vulnerabilities to help teams take the right actions at the right time.
