Using QR Codes for Certification and Document Verification

To combat the rampant spread of counterfeit documents, QR codes on certificates have been widely adopted by both private and government organizations for authentication of important papers. Having already established themselves as an effective tool for digitizing products and services, QR codes have become invaluable in the fight against document falsification.

Certificates issued by various agencies to individuals or even included with products serve as proof of product verification, academic purposes, or licensing. Authorized personnel responsible for making copies of these certificates usually create an electronic version of the document. However, the availability of technology online makes forging documents quite feasible.

With the easy availability of software like Photoshop and Adobe Indesign, and anyone with basic design skills, fake documents can be produced in just minutes. Moreover, verifying the authenticity of documents can be a challenging task. But with electronic certificates embedded with QR codes, counterfeiting can be prevented.

QR Codes on Certificates: How Does It Work?

QR codes can contain a variety of information thanks to the use of four standardized encoding modes (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, and Kanji), allowing for efficient data storage. Financial institutions implement QR codes in their certificates to prevent cloning.

Using QR codes on certificates, scanners can be redirected to information about the document on an official website, where it can be verified for authenticity. All this information is stored in a database and is accessible publicly/privately only through a URL. When an individual or authority wants to verify the authenticity of a certificate, they can scan the QR code printed on the certificate, and they will be directed to the website URL to view the information in the official database on the website, which cannot be forged.

QR Code for Document Verification: FDA Implements QR Codes in Some Export Certificates for Food

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has implemented food safety and authentication measures based on QR codes by adding them to export certificates for human food products exported from the USA.

To enhance security measures for human products exported from the USA, the FDA launched a QR code initiative for product certificates, which upon scanning, will grant access to a copy of the certificate issued by the FDA. Essentially, this solution allows for an electronic business card that not only enables the verification of product originality but also provides a plethora of additional functionalities for users.