iTRACE’s Secure Alternative to QR Codes

As QR codes become increasingly ubiquitous – and are now specified in high-impact initiatives such as the EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) and GS1’s Sunrise 2027 programme to replace 1D barcodes with 2D codes – it is important to underline that, by design, QR codes offer no inherent security in their most common form as a printed symbol on packaging or other substrates.

While a range of techniques exists to enhance QR code resistance to copying, cloning or replication – many of which have been reported in this newsletter – the challenge lies in persuading brand owners, and even regulatory authorities such as the European Commission, to adopt measures that actively protect the codes deployed on products and documents to enable traceability and consumer engagement.

One alternative to QR codes is offered by iTRACE Technologies’ 2DMI® mark (itracetech.com), which it claims to be ‘the most robust and secure system in the market’.