Tag: Australia COVID-19

Police use of Australian QR code check-in system skyrockets controversy

John Montgallo
QR code check-in - scan qr code

Police forces are seeking use of the quick response codes intended as COVID-19 contact tracing. Australia’s privacy watchdog has called for a ban on the use of QR code check-in data by police forces. Law enforcement agencies in the country have been seeking to obtain the data collected through the COVID-19 spread control system on at least six occasions in efforts to solve unrelated crimes. The QR code check-in system had already been controversial, but this trend spiked with the news. The privacy watchdog has been joined by civil liberties…

Read More

Australia chooses QR code check-ins and essentially dumps COVIDSafe app

Stephanie Beck
QR code check-ins - Image of contact tracing app

Though the application started strong, it has fizzled out to the point that its usefulness is low. In Australia, QR code check-ins have become the strategy most people are using to continue the country’s contact tracing efforts. The original intention had been to use the COVIDSafe app for this purpose, but despite starting strong, it isn’t what it was meant to be. Even with strong initial enthusiasm from Australians, most people never downloaded the app. When the COVIDSafe app was first unveiled, about 70 percent of Australians said they liked…

Read More

Mickey Mouse and other fake QR code profiles sabotage Australian contact tracing

Jennifer Goula
QR code profiles - man amused by phone

Officials are urging NSW residents to stop identifying themselves as Donald Duck. Fake QR code profiles such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are being used in the New South Wales, Australia contact tracing system, sabotaging its effectiveness. Residents of the state are being urged to complete their barcodes accurately to boost their effectiveness. NSW residents have been asked to complete accurate QR code profiles as fake names and phone numbers will stop them from being notified in case of exposure. “What we are finding is that some of the…

Read More