Stop scanning QR codes, you dolts(dedoimedo.com)
dedoimedo.com
Stop scanning QR codes, you dolts
https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/qr-codes.html
7 comments
I don't understand the reasoning, scanning a qt code provides a URL that the user may or may not visit. How is this an issue? I do agree that passkeys are problematic, though.
Author is confusing a technology (QR codes) with some of its applications.
QR codes (the tech) is fine, can do things that you can't do (well) with say, a barcode, and/or is better suited than other technologies under some circumstances.
Some uses bad? Scanning QR codes stupid, the codes containing privacy-eroding identifiers, OSes snooping everything you scan, or whatever? Maybe - it depends.
A seasoned pro like this author (see "About" page) would do better to dissect one of those 'bad' applications, and explain how/why that application is bad. Not rant against QR codes in general - that makes no sense.
QR codes (the tech) is fine, can do things that you can't do (well) with say, a barcode, and/or is better suited than other technologies under some circumstances.
Some uses bad? Scanning QR codes stupid, the codes containing privacy-eroding identifiers, OSes snooping everything you scan, or whatever? Maybe - it depends.
A seasoned pro like this author (see "About" page) would do better to dissect one of those 'bad' applications, and explain how/why that application is bad. Not rant against QR codes in general - that makes no sense.
Im in China, I scan ~10-30 qr codes daily. Everything from social contacts, logins, payments work with QR codes.
Stop giving me cookie popups for a blog post, you dolts.
And then, there's NFC tags...
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Passkeys are evil. I don't know how. I don't know when the hydra whose corpse passkeys were built on will rear its ugly head, but it will come and it will be terrifying.
You have a physical copy of a document and you want to retrieve the latest digital copy? A QR code on the cover page or on the document footer works well from the printed copy.
You need to copy/transfer a tiny snippet of information from a computer to another device without relying on a computer network? Generate a QR code and scan it from the other device.
And there are other use case if you rely on URI scheme, such as crafting an email template that prefills the destination, the object of the message and the body, etc.
One of the potential issue is that they aren't digitally signed, so you cannot validate their integrity or origin so you need to be careful about what you scan in a public setting.