Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#21

Post by drostie » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 4:52 PM UTC

mnutt wrote: post #3

Interesting story, though I don't understand what he says at the end about not being able to redirect the QR Code to another link because the QR Code is the link. Why not just send a 302 redirect? He sounds like he wouldn't do it on principle, but I don't understand the technical reason why he couldn't.

He already indicates in the paragraph just before that he technically could redirect the traffic -- that he offered to send all IPs from Belgium to some Belgian company which had accidentally used his QR code in actual advertisements. (And that they declined because he asked too much money.)

There is no technical barrier to redirection. What he actually says is "What does that mean? I’m guessing they think I can somehow magically cause that QR Code (which they accidentally used in something printed?) to redirect to another URL. I don’t think they understand that the QR Code IS the URL."

Notice the word order. He's "guessing what they think", and his guess is that they think he can "magically cause the QR code to redirect to another URL" -- the object of the sentence is not his domain, and not his URL, but the QR code. (He's saying that they've phrased it as if there is a QR code database where the code must be looked up.)

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#22

Post by sirclueless » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 4:52 PM UTC

sp332 wrote: post #17

jodrellblank wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you really be worried if AirBNB had a QR code which took you to http://airbnb.com/qr because it might be a redirect which could take you anywhere?

Currently, no. But I would be mad if they sold a redirect to someone else and it took me where I didn't expect. And if that happened often, then I would get more suspicious of redirects over time.

How about the more likely version: http://qrserv.clearcast.com/?adid=239af932e which redirects to http://airbnb.com/?

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#23

Post by sirclueless » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 4:59 PM UTC

guan wrote: post #16

sp332 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess I'd trust ads more than random QR codes on blogs. My point is, if the point of a redirect is that you can send people to a different page later in time, then you really can't depend on the QR code taking you where you expect, or even to the same page that it used to go to.

If this is such a concern, you can always have your browser ask you for permission before it follows a redirect. Any URL anywhere could potentially redirect.

I guess the point is that there is a certain amount of comfort to be had if the url is http://www.domainname.com/ because at least then you know that any redirects are intended for the entire world: no one is shuffling you though ad trackers making you feel like a pawn.

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#24

Post by gerggerg » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 5:03 PM UTC

QR codes are a massive phishing scam waiting to happen. I'll just go cover up the one at my bank with a sticker of the same exact size that links to my own site that looks exactly like the bank's site. Or maybe I'll put one on the ATM and see how long I get traffic before someone takes it down.

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#25

Post by karterk » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 5:20 PM UTC

dholowiski wrote: post #20

We use QR codes extensively where I work. We use them in print ads and on TV commercials and I have a re-occurring nightmare that we'll use the 'wrong' QR code somewhere disastrous... like printing a link to our competitors on 10,000 brochures or something like that. I insist that I check all QR codes before they're sent out, and I scan them with 2-3 different QR scanning apps. As another commentor mentioned, I often…

Very curious - are they actually effective? Do people use them? What's the "click-through" rate like?

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#26

Post by rglover » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 5:32 PM UTC

gerggerg wrote: post #24

QR codes are a massive phishing scam waiting to happen. I'll just go cover up the one at my bank with a sticker of the same exact size that links to my own site that looks exactly like the bank's site. Or maybe I'll put one on the ATM and see how long I get traffic before someone takes it down.

Wow, never considered this but you're right. Scary. I'm glad I don't scan QR codes.

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#27

Post by dchest » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 5:41 PM UTC

gerggerg wrote: post #24

QR codes are a massive phishing scam waiting to happen. I'll just go cover up the one at my bank with a sticker of the same exact size that links to my own site that looks exactly like the bank's site. Or maybe I'll put one on the ATM and see how long I get traffic before someone takes it down.

Yes, but you can also put a sticker that says "Go to www.bankofamerica-manage-account.com". Although, it's easier to notice, of course.

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#28

Post by mortenjorck » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 6:03 PM UTC

When I worked in marketing communications, we had a policy that anything that could be mistaken as final, approved assets in a printed piece had to be covered with a big, diagonal, magenta "FPO" label (for position only). Whether it was an inaccurate placeholder image, or a justinsomnia QR code, it had to be obvious it was not the final art.

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#29

Post by randallsquared » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 6:08 PM UTC

sirclueless wrote: post #22

sp332 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Currently, no. But I would be mad if they sold a redirect to someone else and it took me where I didn't expect. And if that happened often, then I would get more suspicious of redirects over time.

How about the more likely version: http://qrserv.clearcast.com/?adid=239af932e which redirects to http://airbnb.com/ ?

I don't much use QR codes, but when I want to go to a URL I got in email, and it looks like that, even if the email otherwise seems legit, I just type in the URL to the real site directly. Clicking on such a link feels like deliberately falling for a phish.

Re: Why does that QR Code go to justinsomnia.org?

#30

Post by burgerbrain » Sat, Jan 28, 2012, 6:18 PM UTC

dchest wrote: post #27

gerggerg wrote: post #24

QR codes are a massive phishing scam waiting to happen. I'll just go cover up the one at my bank with a sticker of the same exact size that links to my own site that looks exactly like the bank's site. Or maybe I'll put one on the ATM and see how long I get traffic before someone takes it down.

Yes, but you can also put a sticker that says "Go to www.bankofamerica-manage-account.com". Although, it's easier to notice, of course.

QR codes present a much lower barrier to entry though. That means they can be acted on before it occurs to the target that they should think about what they're doing.