A subscription... for a toilet? Internet access... for a toilet? Cameras... for a toilet? Am I having a fever dream?
this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2025
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Technology
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Kohler Can Access Data and Pictures from Toilet Camera It Describes as “End-to-End Encrypted”
(varlogsimon.leaflet.pub)
Don’t forget AI, for a toilet.
So our toilets will very soon be smarter than the current US president, got it.
Is it even a bar (standard) anymore of it’s low enough to be laying on the ground?
Pretty sure toilet water often goes below ground. So that's where we're at 😞
I mean, if that one gains sentience and goes all SkyNet on us I'll understand where it's coming from
I mean, there is a legitimate benefit here. The camera can analyze your feces for health issues. And most people aren't smart enough to set up their own server so they host one for you. And the AI analysis would cost a lot more to be processed locally.
And personally, I would not be terribly concerned about photos of my poo going into a database.
Not saying you should buy one of these but it definitely can provide value, especially if you have intestinal issues.
My field is bioinformatics. I'm willing to bet $500 there's little to no valuable data being gathered at all, and quite a lot of noise, rather than anything relevant for your health. I'm sure, just like your smart watch, they can make it sound like some deep insights and health exploration, but I guarantee you it's not.
You're telling me there's zero valuable information in photos of feces? What about this?
You’re telling me there’s zero valuable information in photos of feces?
Nope. I'm saying a private company and whatever training set they have, plus a cheap RGB camera and an AI model, is not going to give you any information that you can't derive by simply looking at the feces yourself, much like the table you just linked. Though that table itself is an oversimplification that, being unable to take other parameters into account, also contains potentially misleading conclusions.
is not going to give you any information that you can't derive by simply looking at the feces yourself
Yes and you don't have to hire a plumber to fix your sink if you're a plumber.
The point is:
- Professional analysis
- (more importantly) Automated logging (no pun intended), potentially for human medical review periodically, or at a later date.
Yes and you don’t have to hire a plumber to fix your sink if you’re a plumber.
You are severely misunderstanding the point being made. Imagine you have a leaky pipe, you hire a professional plumber, they charge you $500 and say "yep, I can take a look and I conclude it's a leaky pipe! My job here is done, see you next time. I can also give you an AI generated list of reasons pipes often get leaky"
What I'm precisely telling you is that this company can't provide the professional analysis you just commented.
this company can't provide the professional analysis you just commented.
And why not?
Because there is more that goes into telling if someone is unhealthy than just looking at their stool. And the few signs that DEFINITELY point to health issues would be assessable by the average person just looking at their poop.
Sure, and there's more that goes into telling if someone is unhealthy than just looking at their blood oxygen levels or heart rate or arrhythmia, but these are still valuable indicators that we already track and look for symptoms pointing to a potential issue.
Plus health is not binary, it's a spectrum, and looking at your feces can give be an indicator of where specifically your gut health lands on that spectrum.
Because it's an incredibly unreliable data point by itself, and requires significantly more than visual analysis to prevent several co-variables.
Who said it had to be used by itself?
You're really willing to die on the hill of poop camera subscriptions, I'm not willing to waste time diving further into the subject. You're ignorant of the topic, which is fine, but I won't be the one explaining further.
I'm not dying on anything, I'm just having a discussion. It's what I come here to do. If you don't want to discuss it, that's fine, but the name calling is unnecessary.
This needs a nottheonion tag.
Soon
"... the federal agency announced a 20 million dollar settlement with the individuals who claim the agent invaded their privacy when he accessed their toilet cameras without their consent. A source who did not wish to share their name said the department was initially given back door access as part of an undisclosed agreement with Kohler to further their investigation into 'transgender crime' and further anti-drug smuggling efforts. When contacted for a statement on the matter, the department's spokesperson stated, "Fuck off, lib.'"
No shit, Sherlock, where do you think the other end is? I would be even more concerned than I already am if the other end wasn't Kohler.
end-to-end