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© KYODOJapan rail firms to swap magnetic tickets for QR codes in green push
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© KYODO
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sakurasuki
QR Code was developed by Japan in 1994, however it took more 30 years for Japanese railway companies to really adopts, this technology, for any change it will decades in japan.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/QR-Code
Sh1mon M4sada
I'd be careful how this is going to roll out. Scammers will be on the prowl.
Desert Tortoise
Sigh. Airlines have been using QR code boarding passes for decades. So does Amtrak. Even the local movie theaters use them. Seems pretty secure.. The QR code is unique to the purchaser.
Desert Tortoise
Most of us load our QR code on our cell phone and when we get where we are going the QR code scanner scans the QR code on our phone.
David Van Den Berg
This process is going to be much slower than paper tickets.
Get out your phone, switch it on, unlock the screen, start up the app all before you can scan.
Rakuraku
sakurasukiToday 07:12 am JST
Often true, but an overgeneralization. Look at how quickly payment by Suica or other IC cards spread in Japan. Foreign tourists are amazed by the fact that these cards can be used nationwide, not only for transport but also in convenience stores, chain restaurants, and more.
David Van Den BergToday 11:30 am JST
Nothing to see with phone. The QR code will be on the paper ticket instead of the magnetic bands.
David Van Den Berg
The previous two posts were about scanning QR codes on phones though. There's a reason that NFC based cards caught on so well: the Felica system has about a 0.5 second scan time. With the volume of people going through some high-traffic stations at rush hour any slowdown is disasterous.
Tokyu railway has had QR-code enabled gates for some time (the QSKIP system) but you rarely see more than one gate at any given station with this technology, probably due to this very reason.
Sh1mon M4sada
...until
https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/threat-prevention/what-is-phishing/what-is-quishing-qr-phishing/
Desert Tortoise
What I see is people boarding have their phones out and the QR code loaded on the screen when they get to the scanner. The scan takes maybe half a second. It is no different that arriving at the gate with your paper boarding pass in hand ready to go. Normal stuff when traveling.
Desert Tortoise
Airports have phone chargers and outlets where you can plug your own charger in. Keep your phone charged when traveling. Normal stuff travelers know and practice.
wallace
If you don't have a phone?
Sh1mon M4sada
Plenty of examples of kiosk hacked and QR replaced, especially during covid contact tracing period. Most of these kiosk are still running windows XP and vulnerabilities are no longer patched.
kurisupisu
Why (if QR codes are on phones) am I beholden to take my phone everywhere I go or even why is it necessary to have a smartphone?
Negative Nancy
I for one think this will be brilliant when it is put in place. Now if only we can get them to allow on-board payment for express-train tickets with something other than cash.
garypen
They will be using paper tickets with QR codes instead of magnetic strips. They already have apps for phones and smartwatches that use NFC, not QR.
This process uses paper tickets.
garypen
A moot point, as they are just changing from magnetic strip to QR code on paper tickets.
GBR48
The main problem with QR hacks is where you read a QR code with your phone to pay for something. Criminals just stick a fake QR code over the real one and empty your bank account. Printing QR codes on paper tickets shouldn't be a problem, unless it rains or they get creased. Have they found a manufacturer for new Suica cards yet?