QR Scanner (Privacy Friendly)

QR Codes become increasingly more important. In some areas they have even changed the normal barcode. A QR Code is able to store up to seven thousand characters and due to this fact is certified for extra complicated content, e.g. vCards. Hence nowadays QR Codes can nowadays be found on nearly every advertisement poster and animate the user to scan it along with his smartphone. Thus, it's no longer needed take a hand written note, it is sufficient to scan the QR Code. Correspondingly, there are already many QR Code scanner apps available in the Google Play Store. It belongs to the Privacy Friendly Apps group developed by the research group SECUSO at Technische Universität Darmstadt. More information can be discovered an secuso.org/pfa

Our Privacy Friendly QR Scanner App differs with respect to 2 features:

1. The Privacy Friendly QR Scanner App solely requires the minimal amount of permissions, specifically:

• In category Camera/Microphone: Camera

The digicam is used to scan QR Code.

• In category Other: Vibrate and Flashlight

The vibration is used to offer suggestions if the scan was successful. The flashlight is used to help the camera in studying the QR Code successfully in dangerous lighting situations.

Most of the QR Code scanner apps obtainable within the Google Play Store need several permissions on high of those needed: e.g. studying contacts or your call log and retrieving data from the Internet. Most of those necessities usually are not necessary for the performance they actually are supposed to provide.

2. The Privacy Friendly QR Scanner App helps its users in detecting malicious hyperlinks: QR Codes present new possibilities for an attacker, as QR Codes can contain malicious hyperlinks, i.e. hyperlinks to phishing webpages or webpages from which malware would routinely be downloaded. Therefore you will need to fastidiously examine the link before accessing the corresponding webpage. Since it is troublesome for the person to spot malicious hyperlinks, the Privacy friendly QR Scanner App helps the user by highlighting the area (e.g. in that case for https://www.secuso.org, secuso.org can be highlighted). To keep away from not checking the hyperlink and specifically the highlighted area rigorously, the app supplies information about attainable fraud and its users want to confirm that they checked the hyperlink and it is trustworthy. Note, the data proven after scanning an URL based mostly QR Code is not customized for every URL. Hence, it ought to be considered as an recommendation for the person the means to behave generally.

Similar to different obtainable QR Code scanning apps, the Privacy Friendly QR Scanner App helps the following codecs:

• text

• product codes

• phone number

• sms

• e-mail address

• email

• contact information (e.g. vCards)

• URL

• WiFi (limited: cannot connect with community automatically)

Bar codes are additionally supported.