Hotel Passport Scans on the Dark Web? Why the Garante’s Alert Matters—and How Hotels Reduce Risk

The Italian data protection authority (Garante) recently warned that several hotel IT systems were breached and high-resolution scans of passports and ID cards were stolen. Even when properties act quickly, these incidents highlight a structural problem in hospitality: front desks routinely create and store copies of the most sensitive identifiers a person has. Have you ever checked in and wondered why do we need to share our passport and put it on file indefinitely? This makes hotels prime targets for cyber-attacks and privacy risks.