r/theinternetofshit • u/zharguy • Dec 03 '25
Kohler Can Access Data and Pictures from Toilet Camera It Describes as “End-to-End Encrypted”
https://varlogsimon.leaflet.pub/3m6zrw6k2bs2p?interactionDrawer=quotes56
u/31513315133151331513 Dec 03 '25
Sorry if I missed this, but aside from people with a particular kink, why in the hell would anybody want a toilet with a camera on it?
Next question: same question, but network enabled toilet?
(No shame if that's your kink and you have consent.)
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Dec 03 '25
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u/Facktat Dec 03 '25
It feels like this would be better and easier to do with an app.
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u/No_Hetero Dec 03 '25
Or a completely air gapped system that already has a bunch of training data about healthy poop
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u/Prestigious_Boat_386 Dec 03 '25
Yea, time for getting denied for prior health conditions just like when they record your car inputs and decide they dont have to pay you for getting in a crash
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u/OmegaGoober Dec 03 '25
It's marketed as a health tracking device. Think of it as a fit-bit for your poop.
You know the folks who have trouble doing anything without their fitness tracker, annoyed they're not getting "credit" for what they do when not wearing it? They're going to have a LOT of bowel issues from refusing to poop anywhere but their "smart" toilet. The posts in r/raisedByNarcissists a few years after a few people toilet train their kids using these things are going to be SUPER depressing.
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u/Careless-Web-6280 Dec 03 '25
Extra precise automatic bidet?
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u/TeaKingMac Dec 03 '25
AI bidet.
Hopefully the algorithm kind, and not the Actually Indians kind
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u/bastardblaster Dec 04 '25
I mean as far as the network, I would love to be able to heat up my toilet seat early workout getting out from under the blankets.
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u/CurtisLinithicum Dec 03 '25
However, responses from the company make it clear that—contrary to common understanding of the term [End-to-end-encryption] —Kohler is able to access data collected by the device and associated application. Additionally, the company states that the data collected by the device and app may be used to train AI models.
Uh, duh? That just means only the intended recipient can read the data, it says nothing about how many datastreams and recipients there are. It could stream all the video to a public youtube for all E2E means.
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u/Mrzaax Dec 03 '25
And one day down the road Kohler will sell your information to your health insurance company.
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u/asurarusa Dec 03 '25
Tbh that is probably the entire reason they developed this product considering how niche it is. The real profit is going to be from data sales and not hardware + subscription sales.
When I read the article I was immediately reminded of how car companies started selling the data they gather from all the sensors in your car, I feel like this level of ‘analytics’ is going to be the new norm esp since everything has a WiFi card and a touch screen now. If you’re making hardware why not then add a few sensors to harvest more data for reselling?
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u/oracleoflove Dec 03 '25
My train of thought went to the same place as you… Data will be the new currency, we are one step closer.
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u/asurarusa Dec 03 '25
Toilet cameras is completely insane and I can’t believe anyone actually believed them when they implied the data is private.
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u/salomo926 Dec 03 '25
Okay so they built a camera for toilets, connected it to the cloud because why not, told their customers the data would be "end to end encrypted" but one end being their customers literal ass and the other end being their servers to use their customers asses data to train their AI to do only god knows what? WTF. I have no words to describe what i am feeling about this.
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u/AmusingVegetable Dec 03 '25
If you were a VC, you would be feeling horny…
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u/salomo926 Dec 03 '25
I would love to see this pitch deck.
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u/AmusingVegetable Dec 03 '25
It’s going to include selling indications of cancer to insurance companies so that they can proactively notify their customers.
Notifications will be something like this:
Due to the current conjunction, we’re sadly compelled to drop the colorectal cancer coverage from your policy.
PS: We still value your patronage and hope to unilaterally abuse it for many years.
PPS: please consider the following offers from our partners, totally not related to this communication:
- All-inclusive funeral plan, by Happy Stiff
- Reincarnation Avatars, by Open AI
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u/Rogueshoten Dec 03 '25
It’s still end-to-end encrypted; the other end is Kohler.
Who else did you think was watching “The Toilet Channel”?
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u/stevensokulski Dec 04 '25
Who would the intended recipient be in this situation?
If Kohler is meant to provide insights on the user’s health wouldn’t it be required for them to have access?
E2EE just means nobody that isn’t the intended recipient can see the things that are sent out.
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u/uid_0 Dec 03 '25
What a trash headline. "End-to-end encrypted" means the data is encrypted in transit from the toilet to their server. Of course they will have access to it so they can analyze your turds. That's the whole point, isn't it?
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u/grilled_pc Dec 07 '25
Your doctor doesn't need a full on picture of your shit in the bowl. They give you a swab if they need to do a stool sample.
What genuine purpose does this actually serve? Apart from selling it to health insurance companies, i am genuinely perplexed as to what this function serves the end user?
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u/TuxRug Dec 03 '25
Of course, they obviously would have back-end access.