QR Codes Are Here to Stay. So Is the Tracking They Allow

Re:QR Codes Are Here to Stay. So Is the Tracking They Allow by bellyfullofbac on Monday July 26, 2021 @07:53AM (#27958315)

Feels like sloppy journalism the way the article half-assedly doesn't explain how the magic works. The tracking occurs because many QR codes have URLs like some-analytics-server.tld/restaurant=mcdonalds&city=chicago&branch=downtown that record your scan and then redirect to maybe mcdonalds.com/menu/ . Instead the article writes:

> That’s because QR codes can store digital information such as when, where and how often a scan occurs.

Huh? QR codes can store anything, but how are these infos being stored on the codes themselves?

> They can also open an app or a website that then tracks people’s personal information or requires them to input it.

Yeah, if that tracking server also has Facebook/Google embeds they can probably have even more analytics about you.

I should write a "privacy protecting QR code scanner" and be... $4.95 richer from the people who care about privacy buying the $0.99 app.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:QR Codes Are Here to Stay. So Is the Tracking They Allow by cyberge99 on Monday July 26, 2021 @12:21PM (#27961357)

Exactly. This is sensationalism. QR is merely a barcode capable of encoding rich data. It would be trivial, as you noted, to simply decode the QR code and use an alternate method of browsing. Furthermore, in the USA the ADA protects alternative methods of ordering, so you won’t starve to death because of “QR tracking”.

As long as unscrupulous businesses (not the restaurants in this case) abuse personal privacy, a market will exist that protects it.

[ Parent | on HN ]