Majority of respondents aware of personal information security when scanning codes

BEIJING - A total of 88.7 percent of people pay attention to personal information security when scanning QR codes via their mobile phones, according to a recent survey conducted by the China Youth Daily.

Code scanning has become a common way for people to pay, order food and obtain information. Over 67 percent of the 2,000 respondents often use mobile phones to scan codes in daily life. However, more than 70 percent were concerned about revealing personal information, and more than 53 percent worried that scanning QR codes might link to websites with viruses.

Nearly 70 percent of the respondents were made to subscribe to public WeChat accounts of shops or restaurants when scanning codes, while nearly 60 percent were asked for access to their personal information such as profile pictures and Wechat ID.

To prevent risks caused by QR code scanning, over 67 percent suggest being alert to the links that pop up after scanning, while over 57 percent recommend not to scan any code unless absolutely necessary.

Of those surveyed, 53 percent were born between 1980 and 1989, 30 percent between 1990 and 1999, 11.3 percent between 1970 and 1979, with the remainder born between 1960 and 1969 or after 2000.