Microsoft Tag vs. QR tag

Micro$oft Tag



QR Code


Many short-sighted (and lazy) organizations are quickly jumping on the Micro$oft Tag bandwagon because Micro$oft gives them ready-made statistics and data and tools to manage it. They don't seem to realize that all the same data could easily be obtained on their own servers without exposing themselves or their customers to the security risks involved with the Micro$oft system.

The Micro$oft Tag can allegedly hold more data than the QR code, but what's actually true is that the Micro$oft Tag is just a link to data on their server, so even though the actual code holds less data than a QR code it can retrieve more data. In actual practice, that doesn't seem to happen, though. And while generating a Micro$oft Tag requires licensing their technology, generating QR codes is free and can even be done on the Web. (See here, for example.)

The biggest difference between the two codes is what you don't see: Micro$oft tracks everything related to their tags (including your gps location if available) the instant you scan them, while QR tags can only be tracked if you allow them to be. Micro$oft wants to own all the data related to mobile barcode scanning so they can sell it. QR codes simply give you plain text information encoded within the graphic itself. Micro$oft Tags require an Internet connection to Micro$oft's servers to decode, QR codes are totally offline. Micro$oft Tags (and their apps) are a huge security risk, QR codes are not.

I am amused at the person that goes at great length into all the encryption that can be done with Micro$oft Tags (and avoids the fact that the capability to encrypt QR tags DOES EXIST) and ignores the fact that it's utterly irrelevant. QR codes are offline, and therefore communication encryption is irrelevant because zero information is being transmitted. As for the the information in the code itself, why anybody would want to encrypt that is totally beyond me, as it utterly defeats the purpose of the code, and there are *much* better ways to send "secret messages"...

Then there's the fact that the Micro$oft Tag app requires permissions that it has no legitimate reason for needing, and those permissions allow them to track things on your phone (including your location and phone call details) that have nothing whatsoever to do with the tags themselves.

Bottom Line: Do everybody a favor and stay as far away from Micro$oft Tags as you can get.

The Real Dope: This is a very real opportunity for Micro$oft to challenge Google in the consumer data business, but in a far more insidious and nefarious way. Be afraid. Be very afraid!

Links:
QR Code
Microsoft Tag (also inappropriately named High Capacity Color Barcode by Microsoft)