QR code at the scene – a smart hack for a smartphone to educate intruders

Sure, curiosity is human. However, in the event of accidents, natural disasters or acts of violence, it often has a detrimental effect, as people who satisfy their curiosity become a problem themselves: they obstruct rescue workers, cover paths and create a carnival-like atmosphere.

This problem is exacerbated with the smartphone: many random witnesses want to film or film events in order to follow the recordings. On social media To publish.

Warning in mobile phone screen

Berlin Rescue Service is now learning the idea of ​​an advertising agency to draw attention to the problem – precisely at a time when eyewitnesses become upset. For this purpose, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe relies on QR codes and the fact that most modern smartphones recognize these codes in the camera app while taking a photo. Rescue vehicles and personnel equipment are affixed with icons and display the clear message “Gawking kills” on the mobile phone screen.

As part of the pilot project, eight ambulances and one intensive care vehicle will be equipped accordingly; Icons are also placed on screens that block accident sites. In order not to be instantly recognized, the QR codes are camouflaged by a specially designed design.

Obviously, it’s not just about educating or educating the spectators, it’s also about giving them useful awe. Because everyone who wondered how the phone now knows that snooping is indulging here, will be more impressed than users who see through the trick.

In the press release, Joerg Losim, a member of the Johanniter Federal Board of Directors, expressed the hope that this small technological breakthrough would have a wide impact: “The innovative idea has the potential to reach a very wide audience and prompt many people to rethink.”

Does hacking a cell phone bring the required deterrent?

It is determined whether the QR codes will become permanent after the current testing phase, which will last a few months. However, Johanter is already expressing his hope that the idea will find copycats: Spectators are a big problem for all rescue services, which is why there is great interest: Onlookers often block access to the scene of an accident or rescue workers directly.

So far, neither the appeals nor the criminal liability that was recently filed in Germany has improved the situation. In Switzerland, too, spectators can be prosecuted if they interfere in traffic or if their photos violate the personal rights of those being photographed.

The idea comes from Scholz & Friends, which also has a branch in Zurich. When asked the director, Tobias Handler, said that the idea had not yet been taken up in Switzerland: “But of course we would be happy if it sparked interest in Switzerland as well.” Either way, a QR code hacker will likely find duplicates. It is expected that many graphic formats will be equipped with open or camouflaged QR codes in the near future, which will provide us with messages directly on the mobile screen when we take the photo.

Posted today at 11:41 am

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