How our business works

Q2U QR Code Content Providers help fund our products

Our mission to make QR Codes memorable and safe is always at the core to everything we do at Q2U. It’s why we are so proud and protective of the Q2U brand and our service offerings. It is also why our service offerings make it free for individuals to:

• Scan a Q2U QR Code,
• Receive a reminder messages that briefly highlights the content associated with each of the Q2U QR Codes they have scanned, and
• Have the peace of mind that we check, typically daily, the web pages the Q2U QR Codes are associated with to confirm they have not been identified as potentially containing malware, unwanted software, or social engineering exploits.

Advertising and subscriptions for Q2U QR Codes by content providers is what makes it possible to offer the above to everyone.

So how does subscriptions and advertising at Q2U work?

Content providers can create a Q2U QR Code through their Q2U Account. They get to define the title, text, image, and call to action associated with a specific Q2U QR Code. The details they provide need to comply with our content rules. When you scan that specific Q2U QR Code, this information is included in your daily summary message and your scans list within your Q2U Account.

We make money selling subscription services for Q2U QR Codes to organizations — big and small, global and local. We also may include paid advertising within the Q2U summary message and dashboard. Don’t worry we will never send you a summary message on a day that you didn’t scan a Q2U QR Code. To be clear, “summary message” is not a euphemism, aka another word for, marketing list email. The primary driver of content in this message are the Q2U QR Codes you scanned. The summary message will never contain more advertising than scan summaries. Finally, we will always keep ads distinct from scan summary entries to help avoid confusion.

Ultimately, we earn most of our money through subscriptions.

We don’t sell your personal information to anyone

We use your personal information to make our products more helpful to you. It’s how we can send you the daily summary message when you have scanned a Q2U QR Code or show you more useful ads based on your interests. But we never sell your personal information to anyone or disclose it to the content providers associated with the Q2U QR Codes you scan.

Content providers subscribe to Q2U QR Codes for three primary reasons:

1. There is a higher likelihood you will scan the QR code because of the safeguards the Q2U brand provides you.
2. They get to craft the brief content included in the daily summary message you receive and your scans list within your Q2U Account.
3. There is a higher likelihood you will interact with their content again as a result of the summary message and the scans list in your Q2U Account.
4. Depending on the type of subscription, they may be provided usage data that quantifies how many times the QR Code was scanned or how many people viewed their content again later via the summary message or scans list in your Q2U Account. For example, on December 5, 2023 this specific Q2U QR Code was scanned 235 times, 200 people had it included in their summary message, of which 98 people clicked the link to view the content again.
5. Depending on the type of subscription, they may be provided aggregate demographic information that helps them understand the characteristics of people scanning and later visiting their content. For example: In the month of December 2023, 932 individuals between the ages of 18-24

When we show ads, advertisers pay us either for the placement of an ad — like a banner at the top of a message summary — or for how an ad actually performs — like when someone clicks on it. Advertisers do not pay us for personal information, such as your name or email, and we never share that information with advertisers, unless you ask us to. We also never use your sensitive information like race, religion, or sexual orientation, to personalize ads to you. We share reports with our advertisers to help them understand the performance of their ads, but we do so without revealing any of your personal information. At every point in the process of showing you ads, we keep your personal information protected.

Your data, your choice

When it comes to privacy, we know one size doesn’t fit all. That’s why we build powerful, easy-to-use privacy controls into your Q2U Account and directly into our service so you can choose the privacy settings that are right for you.

When we show you ads we give you transparency and controls so you can make informed decisions. If you no longer find a specific ad relevant, you can mute it. You can use Ad Settings to control the information about you that’s used to show ads. And if you don’t want to see personalized ads at all, you can turn them off at any time.

Because of advertising and subscriptions from content providers, we’re able to offer Q2U QR Codes that provide the individuals who scan these codes:

• The peace of mind the website they will be directed to has not been identified as a potential source for malware, unwanted software, or a social engineering exploit,
• A daily summary message highlighting the content related to the codes they have scanned, and
• A list of summary content available through their Scans list in their Q2U Account

These benefits are provided to users around the world free of charge, helping people access content and get things done. But, when you use our service you trust us with your personal information. That’s why we never sell or disclose your personal information, unless you ask us to, and why we give you powerful privacy controls. It’s a responsibility that comes with providing a service that is accessible for everyone, everywhere.