IDG Contributor Network: Are QR codes more useful in hiding information than displaying it?

Although never mistaken for exciting and sexy technology, QR codes are functional and useful mechanisms. A tiny smudge-like box in the corner of a movie poster can deliver a five-minute preview or deep-link into a listing of local showtimes or even download the movie itself, for a hefty fee. Not bad for a souped-up barcode.

But a move in the U.S.  Senate last week raises a more ominous question: Will retailers and manufacturers use QR codes to hide need-to-know consumer information, by being vague about what the code will deliver? Also, critics ask, is it fair to disclose important consumer information only to those with a smartphone and app capable of interpreting QR codes? This presupposes that they even know to click.

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