YOU SCANNED A QR CODE

That could have been a bad idea.

A QR code is just a link you cannot read at a glance. A sticker can be replaced. A sign can be altered. A code can send you somewhere very different from where you thought you were going.

BEFORE YOU SCAN

Treat random QR codes like random links.

Check the destination.

Use your camera or scanner preview to inspect the domain before opening it. A familiar-looking page means nothing if the address is wrong.

Do not enter credentials blindly.

A QR code can lead to a convincing phishing page just as easily as an email can.

Be suspicious of replacement stickers.

Codes on parking meters, flyers, payment terminals, menus, or public signs can be covered with another code.

Do not install anything because a code told you to.

A QR destination asking for an app, profile, certificate, extension, or unusual permission deserves extra scrutiny.

THIS ONE

Now for why the code was here.

If you have an Illinois driver’s license, permit, or state ID, the Secretary of State maintains a photograph captured through that credential process. Illinois law also expressly addresses facial-recognition search services involving those photographs.

The credential population is not adult-only. Illinois says there is no minimum age for a state ID card, and instruction permits may be issued beginning at age 15 under specified conditions.

THE SHORT VERSION

DOCUMENTEDIllinois maintains captured credential photographs.
DOCUMENTEDState law expressly addresses facial-recognition search services.
DOCUMENTEDThe credential population includes minors.
UNKNOWNExact historical retention, template architecture, and total search volume.

THE RULE

If the evidence does not establish it, NoRec does not present it as fact.

NoRec.US documents government surveillance systems using statutes, policies, contracts, public records, government reports, and other source material. Unknowns stay unknown until the record answers them.