Authorities in Moscow have banned billboards containing QR codes after allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny used the matrix barcodes to conceal their newly launched anti-Putin campaign ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Navalny on Thursday urged supporters to vote for any candidate besides Vladimir Putin during the race, which is scheduled to take place on March 15-17. On Friday, the 71-year-old Putin officially announced his bid to run for a fifth term.
“QR codes that serve as an online link contain various information and are prone to changes, which can violate the federal Law on Advertising,” writes Ivan Shubin, head of the city administration’s media department, adding: “especially considering increased hacker attacks and website breaches.”
So, are they banning all urls in billboards?