Author Topic: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?  (Read 3659 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« on: July 27, 2021, 04:04:38 pm »
Recently, supposedly to reduce contagion through infected paper menus, restaurants are adopting QR code systems for menu listings and ordering.
An interesting article about how this tracks you, the consumer, in today's NY Times business section:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/technology/qr-codes-tracking.html
 

Offline ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11219
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2021, 04:33:37 pm »
The article is paywalled.

I use a standalone QR code recognition app and always check the link. The places I go to with QR code menus just have the link to the same menu they already have online with no additional tracking stuff added to the URL. But they also have an option for a paper menu, you just need to ask for it.

So, I guess if you care and don't want to encourage this behaviour,  don't visit sketchy links and use publicly available menu.
My RSS reader is blocked by the forum, so I won't be actively reading it. If you need to reach me, use email.
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2021, 04:36:25 pm »
Here is a link to a different source that quotes the NY Times article:  https://www.laptopmag.com/news/restaurant-menu-qr-codes-may-be-tracking-you-and-invading-your-privacy-heres-how
Incidentally, when I clicked on the NY Times article, it came up along with a solicitation for subscription, but gave the full text of the article.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2021, 04:38:27 pm by TimFox »
 

Offline ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11219
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2021, 04:59:10 pm »
It offered a free trial, but you needed to register with email. And NYT will not get my email.

Quote
The New York Times noted that Mr. Yum, startup that sells the tech for creating QR-code menus to restaurants, admitted that the digital menu contains cookies that track customers' purchase history as well as their phone number and protected payment information.

I'm not sure how that is possible. I can see how the link may include some tracking info, but nothing to that extent.  If it asks you to install some app, that place can eff right off.
My RSS reader is blocked by the forum, so I won't be actively reading it. If you need to reach me, use email.
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2021, 05:55:34 pm »
I once had to make a special request of the waiter to go fetch a printed menu (which he found in the basement), since I do not carry a smartphone with me.
Had he refused, I would have left the restaurant.
 
The following users thanked this post: Tom45

Online ebastler

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 6389
  • Country: de
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2021, 06:08:47 pm »
It's slightly ironic that the New York Times wants me to create an account (so they can track and spam me, I assume) in order to read this article about a privacy threat.  ::)

I second ataradov though: I assume the QR code simply leads me to a web page which shows the restaurant's menu. If multiple restaurants use the same QR code provider and if their websites place and evaluate cookies in my browser, I can see how that could be used to collect information about various restaurants I visited. But how would it convey what I ordered, what my phone number is and how I paid?
 

Offline Stray Electron

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2034
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2021, 08:40:30 pm »
It's slightly ironic that the New York Times wants me to create an account (so they can track and spam me, I assume) in order to read this article about a privacy threat.  ::)

   Just another example of the NYT's double standards.
 

Online ebastler

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 6389
  • Country: de
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2021, 08:56:21 pm »
It's slightly ironic that the New York Times wants me to create an account (so they can track and spam me, I assume) in order to read this article about a privacy threat.  ::)
   Just another example of the NYT's double standards.

As long as they don't try to kill me before granting me access to the police reports...
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2021, 08:58:02 pm »
I subscribe to the print edition of the NY Times.  You can find it at your public library.
The article was specific about other "features" of the QR code applications for restaurants.
Some allow you to order directly through the phone, and your information gets stored and the app tries to up-sell you "fries with that?" and suggest more expensive liquor in the cocktails.
Just like Mouser and DigiKey (other for-profit companies), the capitalist press will often ask for your e-mail address when you order a good or service.
Quoting an excerpt from the print edition:
"But the spread of the codes has also let businesses integrate more tools for tracking, targeting, and analytics, raising red flags for privacy experts.  That's because QR codes can store digital information such as when, where, and how often a scan occurs.  They can also open an app or a website that tracks people's personal information or requires them to input it.  As a result, QR codes have allowed some restaurants to build a database of their customers' order histories and contact information. ...  'People don't understand that when you use a QR code, it inserts the entire apparatus of online tracking between you and your meal,' said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union."
 
The following users thanked this post: ebastler

Online ebastler

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 6389
  • Country: de
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2021, 09:05:11 pm »
... the print edition of the NY Times.  You can find it at your public library.

'fraid not.  ;)
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2021, 09:07:24 pm »
Further down in the long article, referring to "Mr Yum", a restaurant software vendor:
"Orders placed through the QR code menu also let Mr Yum inform restaurants which items are selling so they can add a menu section with the most popular items or highlight items they want to sell. ... Mr Yum, for instance, uses cookies in the digital menu to track a customer's purchase history and gives restaurants access to that information, tied to the customer's phone number and credit cards.  It is piloting software in Australia so restaurants can offer people a 'recommended to you' section based on their previous orders."
It's all voluntary, of course.
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2021, 09:08:41 pm »
... the print edition of the NY Times.  You can find it at your public library.

'fraid not.  ;)
I can find the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung at mine...
 

Offline ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11219
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2021, 10:24:26 pm »
also let Mr Yum inform restaurants which items are selling so they can add a menu section with the most popular items or highlight items they want to sell.
This is the stupidest idea ever. A restaurant already knows what is selling from their menu.  And what do they care what sells from other menus? Let's say tacos sell well, should an Italian restaurant put tacos on the menu? If you are so clueless as a restaurant owner to not know what sells, you will be out of business anyway.

Mr Yum, for instance, uses cookies in the digital menu to track a customer's purchase history and gives restaurants access to that information, tied to the customer's phone number and credit cards.
This implies installing apps. If restaurants agree to that technology, they are shooting  themselves in the foot.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2021, 10:34:48 pm by ataradov »
My RSS reader is blocked by the forum, so I won't be actively reading it. If you need to reach me, use email.
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2021, 10:47:13 pm »
The article does not imply that Mr Yum shares that information with other restaurants or with unsavory characters, but what stops other vendors from doing so without permission?

I think that the “menu section with the most popular items” is just an additional section highlighting the most popular items from the whole menu, not from across the street.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2021, 10:49:20 pm by TimFox »
 

Offline SiliconWizard

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 14230
  • Country: fr
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #14 on: July 27, 2021, 11:44:00 pm »
The article does not imply that Mr Yum shares that information with other restaurants or with unsavory characters, but what stops other vendors from doing so without permission?

I think that the “menu section with the most popular items” is just an additional section highlighting the most popular items from the whole menu, not from across the street.

Given how badly restaurants have been hit during the pandemic, it would unfortunately be logical that they looked for new ways of making money to make up for it.
And customers won't win.
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2021, 11:45:50 pm »
Also, ways to reduce labor costs.
 

Offline james_s

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 21611
  • Country: us
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #16 on: July 28, 2021, 01:25:57 am »
It offered a free trial, but you needed to register with email. And NYT will not get my email.

There are free services out there that will give you a "burner" email address that either forwards to your real email or lets you receive confirmation links in a web interface, then after some time that address expires. Works great for this sort of thing.
 

Offline ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11219
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #17 on: July 28, 2021, 02:00:07 am »
There are free services out there that will give you a "burner" email address that either forwards to your real email or lets you receive confirmation links in a web interface, then after some time that address expires. Works great for this sort of thing.
I know. I have one setup for my own domain so that it does not appear in any blacklists of such services. I just don't care so spend any more time than necessary to open a page on a clearly nothing story.
My RSS reader is blocked by the forum, so I won't be actively reading it. If you need to reach me, use email.
 

Offline TimFoxTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7910
  • Country: us
  • Retired, now restoring antique test equipment
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #18 on: July 28, 2021, 03:36:07 am »
That's OK--you can open the free page on the site that I posted for your convenience when I found out about the paywall and get a summary of the article.
 

Offline ataradov

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11219
  • Country: us
    • Personal site
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #19 on: July 28, 2021, 06:32:32 am »
Another danger of scanning random QR codes in the restaurants - https://imgur.com/gallery/ox3EQ30
My RSS reader is blocked by the forum, so I won't be actively reading it. If you need to reach me, use email.
 
The following users thanked this post: tooki

Offline Bassman59

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2501
  • Country: us
  • Yes, I do this for a living
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #20 on: July 28, 2021, 06:55:39 am »
It offered a free trial, but you needed to register with email. And NYT will not get my email.

The NY Times has my email address, because I subscribe to the digital edition of the paper.

But it's trivial to get around the paywall. Really.
 

Offline Bassman59

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2501
  • Country: us
  • Yes, I do this for a living
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #21 on: July 28, 2021, 06:57:03 am »
Another danger of scanning random QR codes in the restaurants - https://imgur.com/gallery/ox3EQ30

That comes really close to hello.jpg.
 

Online Zero999

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 19286
  • Country: gb
  • 0999
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #22 on: July 28, 2021, 11:08:07 am »
Recently, supposedly to reduce contagion through infected paper menus, restaurants are adopting QR code systems for menu listings and ordering.
An interesting article about how this tracks you, the consumer, in today's NY Times business section:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/technology/qr-codes-tracking.html
SARS-Cov-2 mostly spreads throught the air, rather than contaminated surfaces. The risk of infection through paper menus is tiny. If they really want to minimise infection: open the windows, keep people apart and get everyone to wear masks, when they're not at their tables, but that won't be so popular.  It sounds like a good excuse to market something, for data collection.
 
The following users thanked this post: Stray Electron

Online tszaboo

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 7282
  • Country: nl
  • Current job: ATEX product design
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #23 on: July 28, 2021, 11:51:27 am »
I had this before. Went to an open air pub like a year ago, it had to be that, everything else was closed. The orders were only accepted online. You had to scan a code and pay. I went to the bar and tried to order a beer, they told me they cannot serve me, I have to order online.  :wtf:
 

Online Zero999

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 19286
  • Country: gb
  • 0999
Re: QR codes for restaurant menus: threat or menace?
« Reply #24 on: July 28, 2021, 12:15:27 pm »
I had this before. Went to an open air pub like a year ago, it had to be that, everything else was closed. The orders were only accepted online. You had to scan a code and pay. I went to the bar and tried to order a beer, they told me they cannot serve me, I have to order online.  :wtf:
I hope they had wi-fi, otherwise it would rule me out, as I don't have a data plan, because I have no use for one.

I've heard similar stories in the UK. The main complaint is it discriminates against the elderly who are less likely to have a phone and more often than not hang around in pubs, because it's the only place they can go to meet others.
 


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf