Perhaps you have noticed the recent proliferation of those QR code squares that are popping up on your TV screen? They used to be restricted to print but now they seem to be showing up on televisions and billboards too. Are you confused by what they are or how to use them? Are you a bit concerned that maybe they aren’t safe or whether you should even bother with them? Well, here’s the scoop on QR codes so you don’t have to wonder any longer.
QR stands for Quick Response, and those seemingly random squiggles in a QR square are actually a type of barcode. The difference between these and a standard barcode is the amount of information they contain in virtually the same amount of space. The barcodes we are most familiar with, those that appear on just about all of the products we buy, can only be read from top to bottom, meaning the amount of information they contain is limited. QR codes, however, can be read not only from top to bottom but also from right to left, allowing for a lot more information to be contained within them.
What kind of data do QR codes contain?
Among many other things, QR codes can:
- Link to a specific page on a website
- Link directly to a product in the Apple App Store or Google Play
- Authenticate a login or an account
- Send and receive payments via PayPal or similar service
- Link to more information about a product, such as nutritional content or special offers
- Link to business cards, recipes, or feedback surveys
How do they work?
To read a QR code, you simply have to open the camera or the app, center the QR code in the screen, and wait a few seconds until the QR code comes into the camera's focus. Once it does, your phone will immediately add a small rectangle at the top of the screen. In the example at the left, look up at the top to see where the pink arrow is pointing. Once you see the link, just tap it to go to the website whose address is embedded in the QR code.
Are they safe?
Like many other aspects of computer technology, QR codes come with words of caution. The codes themselves cannot be hacked once they are generated, but the creators of the codes can program them to take you to fake websites. Just as your email can contain malicious links, so can QR codes, so it is always wise to be careful and only scan codes from trusted places.
The codes themselves cannot capture any personal information from you or from your devices. A code is not capable of holding onto anything other than the type of device used to read it, how often the code is scanned, and the location from which the scan occurs.
StLGS and QR codes
Before StLGS had to close our office to visitors because of the pandemic, we were beginning to place QR codes on most of our paper flyers, bookmarks, and brochures. The codes are simple to create online and they allow us to embed our society’s logos and link directly to unique pages on our website. So, for instance, when you pick up a flyer announcing a special event, if you scan the QR code on the page, it will take you to the website so you can register or get more information. Once our lives return to normal, and we begin to generate our usual flow of paper communication with our genealogy audience, look for QR codes to become more common in our publications, and don’t be afraid to use them!
Additional Resources
“QR Code Security: What are QR codes and are they safe to use?” Kaspersky Cybersecurity Co., https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-a-qr-code-how-to-scan
“What is a QR Code: A Beginner’s Guide,” Scanova Blog, https://scanova.io/blog/what-is-a-qr-code/
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