Public outrage in China as toilets show ads before releasing toilet paper
In Chinese public toilets, users now have to watch advertisements to get toilet paper. The system with QR code scanners is intended to reduce waste, but it is causing strong criticism and comparisons with dystopian future scenarios.
Advertising before going to the toilet
The fact that we are now bombarded with advertising in every conceivable place has almost become normal. Microsoft is trying to sell add-ons in Excel, Amazon is annoying Echo users with invasive advertising and Samsung is sneaking into customers’ kitchens with ads for products on the displays of its smart refrigerators. But all of this is nothing compared to what is currently happening in China. In some of the country’s public toilets, new dispensers are being tested that only dispense toilet paper after viewing an online advertisement.
The wall-mounted paper dispensers are equipped with optical scanners that display a QR code. Users must use their smartphones to scan the code, which triggers an app-based video advertisement that runs for a few seconds. When the commercial ends, the machine dispenses a controlled amount of toilet paper. Those who are unwilling or unable to view the advertising content can bypass the process by paying 0.5 yuan. That’s about six cents at the current exchange rate.
Local officials officially describe the program as part of an ongoing campaign to reduce waste in public facilities. Like, among other things Techspot reports, this isn’t China’s first attempt to regulate toilet paper consumption. Back in 2017, a park in Beijing installed facial recognition technology in their dispensers to combat alleged hoarding. These machines distributed 60-centimeter-long strips and enforced nine-minute intervals between uses for the same person. The system was already controversial back then because it could lead to embarrassing situations.
Toilet paper is not a given in China
The current dispensers, however, use simple QR codes instead of facial recognition, making them easier to install and manage. Each donor connects via a low-power wireless module to an advertising platform that can deliver localized or targeted video content. It remains unclear whether the ad-based dispensers will continue to be used beyond the current test phase.
With all of this, however, you have to know that the provision of free toilet paper in public toilets in the People’s Republic is not a given. Traditionally, people have to bring their own paper. While this is said to be slowly changing, at least in tourist-heavy areas, advertising technology appears to be part of the attempt to combat theft and waste.
Criticism and problems
Nevertheless, the public reaction was, unsurprisingly, negative, videos Circulating on social media platforms show visitors expressing frustration with the process. Critics question both its practicality and its impact on public dignity. “Toilet paper in China now requires viewing ads – Dignity is no longer free, it’s sponsored,” one user wrote on This is not the only reason critics have described the system as dystopian.
What began as a solution to paper theft has become a symbol of a larger problem in the eyes of many citizens. Public infrastructure is increasingly influenced by private profit interests, which also overlap with behavioral surveillance – a problem that is not only growing in China.
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