Your questions about NFC, answered.

No. Both iOS and Android require explicit user confirmation before acting on any NFC tag. When you tap a TapTheMap sticker, your phone shows you the URL and asks whether you'd like to open it. Nothing happens unless you approve.

NFC tags cannot execute code, install apps, access your contacts, read your messages, or interact with any data on your phone. The tag delivers a web address — that's it. Your browser's existing security protections apply exactly as they would for any link you choose to open.

Early NFC vulnerabilities demonstrated on Android 4.0 in 2012 were patched years ago. Current iOS and Android versions sandbox all NFC interactions behind user confirmation dialogs.

This is a legitimate concern — and one that applies equally to QR codes, which can be covered with fraudulent stickers just as easily. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a public warning about this exact QR code tampering scenario in 2022.

TapTheMap addresses this through multiple layers:

• Tamper-evident adhesive — stickers visibly deface if someone tries to peel and replace them.
• Write-locked tags — the stored URL cannot be overwritten or reprogrammed after initial setup.
• Known-domain validation — all TapTheMap URLs point to the tapthemap.online domain. Staff can verify any sticker by tapping it and confirming the URL preview.
• Routine inspection — venue staff check sticker placements during regular walkthroughs, same as they would for any signage.

No individual tracking. The NFC tap itself is entirely local to your phone — no network request occurs until you choose to open the link. If you dismiss the notification, nothing is transmitted to any server.

TapTheMap's map page uses no cookies, no login, no location permissions, and no third-party tracking scripts. We use privacy-respecting analytics (Plausible) that count page views in aggregate — "the map was viewed 342 times this week" — without tracking individual visitors.

For comparison, downloading a venue's dedicated mobile app typically requires granting location permissions, push notification access, and often creates a user account with personal data. NFC wayfinding collects substantially less data than the app-based alternative.

Yes. NFC operates at 13.56 MHz — a non-ionizing radio frequency, the same band used by anti-theft tags in retail stores and library book security systems. The power output of an NFC interaction is approximately 0.02 watts, compared to a smartphone's cellular radio at 0.1–2.0 watts.

The World Health Organization and the FCC confirm that non-ionizing RF at these frequencies and power levels poses no known health risk. Tapping a TapTheMap sticker exposes you to less RF energy than a one-second phone call.

NFC eavesdropping has been demonstrated in laboratory settings at distances up to about 10 meters with specialized equipment. But the concern only matters when the transmitted data is sensitive.

In TapTheMap's case, the only data transmitted is a public URL — the same web address printed on the venue's marketing materials. There is nothing confidential to protect. Intercepting a TapTheMap signal is like overhearing someone say "the zoo's website is tapthemap.online" — it tells you nothing you couldn't already find on your own.