A privacy check for anything you wear with a code on it

Anything printed on clothing or a badge can be scanned by anyone standing close enough. That's the starting point for every privacy question on this site. Before a code goes on a wristband, a jacket or a school bag, we ask three things: what does it show, who can see it, and can the wearer change or remove it later?

There's a second layer people miss. Many QR services log each scan, with a time, a rough location and the type of phone. That can be useful for an event organizer counting shuttle riders. It can also turn a child's backpack tag into a tracking record nobody meant to create. We'll show you how to tell the difference and how to pick tools that collect less.

Our default is the smallest amount of information that still solves the problem. If a code works with a first name and a phone number, it doesn't need anything else.