Unofficial QR codes with the message "you are complicit in your own surveillance" have been placed over some ACT government QR check-ins at Canberra venues.
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In what appears to be in defiance of public health compliance, an individual or group have used the codes to direct people to information at odds with health messaging.
An ACT government spokesperson told Region Media if users opened the app to check-in - rather than going straight to their phone camera - they were not at risk of being sent to an alternative site.
"The app validates the QR code is a legitimate Check-In CBR QR code," the spokesperson said.
"If it is not legitimate, the check-in does not work, and the user is not taken to another site."
Illegitimate QR codes have reportedly been used in other jurisdictions to direct the public to anti-vaccination propaganda.
The Check In CBR app has been mandatory in the ACT since July 15. The public is required to check in to private and public settings, including businesses and public transport, to assist the government with contact tracing should someone with COVID-19 visit the region.
The software has been heralded as some of the best in the country and compliance has reportedly been very high in the ACT.
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Alex Crowe
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
