QR code privacy: what generators actually store
Making a QR code means typing something real into a website: a link, a Wi-Fi password, a phone number, sometimes a whole contact card. What happens to that data varies more between generators than almost anything else about them, and the differences are invisible in the finished PNG. Here is what a generator can see, what scanning adds on top, and how Reticle handles both, spelled out plainly.
What the generator can see when you create
There are two ways to build a QR code site. One renders your code on a server: what you typed travels to the vendor, gets turned into an image there, and exists, at least briefly, in their infrastructure and logs. The other renders in your browser: the page ships the generator code to you, and your data never leaves your machine. From the outside the two look identical, which is exactly why it's worth knowing which one you're using.
Reticle is the second kind. Everything needed to render a code (the URL, Wi-Fi details, contact
info, colors, logo) is processed locally in your browser, and we do not receive, log, or store
the content of the codes you generate. Even a share link keeps the design in the part of the
URL after the #, which your browser never transmits to our servers. The scanner
page works the same way: images and camera frames are decoded on your device and never
uploaded.
What scanning adds: the dynamic-link trade
A static code involves nobody but you and the person scanning: the content is baked into the image, and no vendor sits in the middle. A dynamic code changes that on purpose. It encodes a short link on the vendor's (or your own) domain, and every scan passes through it; that pass-through is what makes the destination editable after printing and the scans countable. The privacy question is what gets kept about each pass, and the honest answer across the industry ranges from a bare counter to a full per-scan dossier.
What Reticle keeps, by plan
On a Free account, a dynamic link stores what you point it at, plus aggregate counts only: a total, a per-day tally, a coarse device class, an hour-of-day tally, and a per-country tally. That is all. Never a per-scan record, never anything about who scanned, and a scanner's IP address is never stored.
While an account is on Pro, every dynamic link it owns also records each scan individually: the time, an approximate city and region when one could be resolved, device class, and operating system. This is automatic, with no way to switch it off, and the privacy policy says so in exactly those words, because a paying feature you can't see clearly isn't a feature, it's a surprise. Records are kept for about 90 days and then deleted automatically, and the link's owner can export the loaded records or delete all of them at any time, on any plan.
What we use for the site itself
Reticle uses Google Analytics and the Google Ads tag to measure how the site is used and how advertising performs; these set cookies, and the privacy policy links Google's own controls. Two things keep that boring: your QR content is never part of it (it never leaves your browser), and the site works the same whether or not you ever sign in.
Four questions to ask any QR generator
Whatever tool you use, the checklist is short. Where does generation happen? If the page can't say "in your browser", assume your data reaches a server. Does the free tier expire? A code that stops scanning after a trial breaks printed material; look for the words "no expiry" and "unlimited scans" before you print. What does a scan record, exactly? A vague "analytics included" can mean anything from a counter to per-person tracking; a specific list is a good sign. Can you export and delete? If scan data is collected about your audience, you should be able to take it out and wipe it. If the answers aren't written down anywhere, that's an answer too.
Frequently asked questions
Does Reticle see what I type into a QR code?
No. Codes are generated entirely in your browser, so the URL, Wi-Fi password, or contact details you enter are never uploaded to or stored on Reticle's servers. The exceptions are dynamic links, where you explicitly ask Reticle to store what the link points at so it can forward scanners there.
Is a code I scan with the QR scanner uploaded anywhere?
No. The scanner page decodes images and camera frames entirely in your browser. Nothing you scan, upload, or point the camera at is transmitted or stored, and the camera stops the moment a code is found.
What does a dynamic link record about the people who scan it?
On a Free account, aggregate counts only: totals by day, coarse device class, hour of day, and country. Never a per-scan record, and a scanner's IP address is never stored. While an account is on Pro, its links also record each scan individually (time, approximate city, device, and OS), kept for about 90 days, exportable to CSV, and deletable by the owner at any time.
Do free QR codes expire or stop working?
Not at Reticle. A static code is baked into the image and works as long as its destination exists. Free dynamic links have unlimited scans and no expiry date, so a code you printed does not stop working because of a plan limit. Some services do cap or expire free codes, which is worth checking before you print anything.
Does Reticle use any analytics itself?
Yes, and the privacy policy says so plainly: the site uses Google Analytics and the Google Ads tag to measure how the site is used and how advertising performs, and these set cookies. The content of your QR codes is never part of that measurement, because it never leaves your browser in the first place.
Can I delete what is stored about me?
Yes. You can delete any saved code or dynamic link from My codes, a Pro link's per-scan records can be deleted all at once regardless of your current plan, and deleting your account removes your saved data. The small on-device conveniences (recent codes, theme, recent colors) live only in your browser and clear with its site data.
The full detail, exceptions included, is on the privacy page. Or just make a code: the generator works without an account, and what you type stays with you.