QR Codes As Cover-Up for Graffiti

We all know the problem about graffiti. It’s dirty, it’s disrespectful to the property of others, it’s obstructive, and, if it is done over a mural or a specific wall art, it’s destructive. It’s vandalism in its lowest form.

So what do you do if a mural on your wall gets spray-painted at by the modern-day vandals?

You can put a QR code on it. Just like what has been done in Vancouver, British Columbia when a mural sponsored by the city as a deterrent to graffiti ended up defaced with an ugly spray painted symbol.

Somebody – not identified – solved the graffiti problem temporarily by putting up a giant QR code on that wall. The QR code, when scanned, leads people to see just how the mural looked originally, exactly how it was before it was defaced.

While some people would just paint over the graffiti and certain “damaged” portions of the wall, a code might be considered a better fix in this instance. For one, repainting is more expensive and more labor-intensive. And then it doesn’t really eliminate the problem as it could fall victim to vandalism again.

However, the fix using QR codes is really just that: temporary. Or short-term. What if the number of graffiti people who carry a bottle of spray paint and whip them out when nobody’s looking increases? What if more and more walls or posts, or even billboards and posters, get to suffer the same fate and get defaced? Does that mean we’ll have to put a QR code over every graffiti we see?

While we advocate the use of QR code technology and while we think that the idea of covering a graffiti with a QR code was a clever and creative one, we still think that it doesn’t solve the problem in the long run. Local governments should do something that would discourage people to commit acts of vandalism and that would encourage them to always be respectful of public and private property – including walls.