The QR code has turned COVID-19 check-ins into a golden opportunity...

Krusty · Oct 30, 2020

The QR code has turned COVID-19 check-ins into a golden opportunity for marketing and data companies

Tens of thousands of small and medium Australian businesses that rushed to outsource the management of their COVID check-in obligations could find themselves snared in a looming data privacy calamity.

At stake are the personal details of millions of Australians who have visited cafes, restaurants and pubs or attended places of worship, wedding and funeral venues since rules designed to help manage the spread of the virus were introduced earlier this year.

These regulations, which operate in most states and territories, require customers and visitors to provide their name and contact details so that they can be traced in the event there's a potential virus transmission risk.

However, many of these electronic check-ins are outsourced to registration platforms that are often owned by companies that deal in collecting data, some operating under opaque rules about how that information is stored and used.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10...ing-qr-codes-raises-privacy-concerns/12823432

Privacy and cybersecurity experts are warning that the lack of due diligence in vetting providers has left the system and the "gold standard" personal data it manages vulnerable to exploitation.

"Governments have made collection compulsory, without exercising supervision about how it is carried out," said Graham Greenleaf, a professor of law and information systems at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
[...]
The kind of information being collected is a highly prized commodity with the data broking industry, giving users of that data direct access to a person's inbox and their mobile handset.

And there are concerns that the data could potentially be resold, used for identity fraud or to track a person's location and social groups, and employed in micro-targeted advertising for misinformation campaigns.

Justin Warren, from privacy and digital rights group Electronic Frontier Australia (EFA), said while some appeared to be doing the right thing, he had also observed the hallmarks of a "marketing surveillance" operation.

He said the abundance of smaller companies collecting and storing the data had also created a "honeypot" for cyber criminals.

"We have a lot of people whose primary business is running a cafe, they're not technical experts," Mr Warren said.

"[These] conditions really lend to mistakes that people will regret later on. With privacy, once you've lost it, it's kind of gone forever."
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Krusty · Nov 22, 2020

QR codes compulsory

From today all venues across NSW must have a system of digital registration as per new rules imposed by the State Government.

Venues, including cafes, bars, hairdressers and nail salons, will no longer be able to use pen and paper to sign people in.

The NSW Government says QR (quick response) codes will further protect patrons and staff from COVID-19 and replace a "walk-in" culture with a "check-in culture."

Australian Hotels Association director John Green said the vast majority of venues in NSW were already using electronic recording, including QR codes.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-23/sydney-morning-briefing-qr-codes-compulsory/12908600

I guess I won't be going to any "cafes, bars, hairdressers and nail salons". I wonder about older people. My mother does not have a smart phone and would not be able to use it if she did.

Krusty · Nov 23, 2020

NSW's new mandatory QR codes cause confusion after one day. Here's everything you need to know

[...]
Do I need a mobile phone to get in?

The short answer is no. You don't need a phone in order to visit these businesses.

This will come as welcome news for some older people who have expressed concerns the system is discriminatory.

A Service NSW spokesperson says businesses are required to provide alternative methods of digitally recording the details of customers who don't have a smartphone.

"This might include completing an online form on a tablet or other device, or entering your details into an Excel spreadsheet."

As long as it's done digitally, it's fine.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-24/nsw-new-mandatory-qr-codes-consumers/12912158

Krusty · Nov 26, 2020

Privacy concerns about SA Government's mySA GOV QR code coronavirus contact tracing app

The SA Government plans to adopt a QR-scanning system to help with contact tracing

The Premier says information will only be kept for 28 days

Others say there should be legislation to enforce privacy rules

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-27/concerns-about-mysa-gov-qr-app-and-how-to-use-it/12925554

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The QR code has turned COVID-19 check-ins into a golden opportunity...

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