Do you use QR codes or do you avoid them?

[thesquirrelfish@sfba.social]

@weddige @Frantasaur @JoBlakely QR codes are generally contextually located so more trustworthy - the restaurant table is a protected space, with the restaurant invested in making sure the QR codes do the right thing, for example.
A URL shortener or unrecognized, unmonitored URL or QR code in the wild real world, and even more so on the Internet, are to be treated with caution.

[joblakely@mastodon.social]

@thesquirrelfish
Makes sense and good advice esp. re: url shorteners.

@weddige @Frantasaur

[joblakely@mastodon.social]

@thesquirrelfish
URL shortener should be really suspect, because there is absolutely no need for one in a QR code.
@weddige @Frantasaur

[davesmeg@mastodon.social]

@JoBlakely Avoid them like the plague.

[realgene@hachyderm.io]

@JoBlakely
I use them for one purpose: Z-Wave "Smart Start" to securely pair new devices.

Z-Wave - Wikipedia

(en.wikipedia.org)

[catsalad@infosec.exchange]

@JoBlakely

[cyberpunklibrarian@masto.hackers.town]

@JoBlakely @catsalad Many of the craft brew pubs I go to use them for their constantly changing draft selections. I don't mind them at all if they're used for something like that.

[gauteweb@mikrobloggen.no]

@JoBlakely Yes, but I prefer to use a QR scanner to see the whole content before I let an app act on it.

[bent0_b0x@norden.social]

@JoBlakely I never use QR codes in public life. I only use them to transfer an url from pc to smartphone.

[unixeno@masto.cubicchaos.net]

@JoBlakely I only use them since GrapheneOS shows the actual link/text with a confirmation screen. When my device doesn't have that, I don't use them.

[joblakely@mastodon.social]

@catsalad
lol. Not gonna do it! Lololol. Is it a rickroll?

[billjelavich@hachyderm.io]

@JoBlakely

[staringatclouds@mstdn.social]

@sasutina13

What we could use is a phone app that reads the code & tells you what it is & only starts a browser if you tell it to

@polinamials @artemis @JoBlakely

[joblakely@mastodon.social]

@staringatclouds @sasutina13 @polinamials @artemis
In the thread there are a couple mentioned like that.

[mriesp@akko.wtf]

@JoBlakely it's probably fine to use QR codes mundane use cases like sharing WiFi with trusted ones, sure. But for my day-to-day, the only path I'd consider is just rick-rolling people with my shirt

[steveclough@metalhead.club]

@JoBlakely I am sort of in two minds over this question. I do use them. When I can be sure know they are genuine and sometimes they are the only way.

But I don't use them if there are other ways. I am not a fan of them, because they are too easy to scam.

[leeloo@c.im]

@JoBlakely
I use the ones my desktop browser generates to quickly open the same url on my phone, but otherwise no.

[staringatclouds@mstdn.social]

@JoBlakely

I should have read back in the thread ‍️

Thanks Jo

@sasutina13 @polinamials @artemis

[joblakely@mastodon.social]

@staringatclouds no worries! It became a surprisingly long thread. Lots of great replies.

[blogdiva@mastodon.social]

@JoBlakely like the plague. i absolutely avoid them by all means necessary. they are the most unsecure shit ever.