Some public toilet facilities in China are using dispensers that require users to scan a QR code and either watch a short advertisement or pay a small fee to receive a limited quantity of toilet paper.
Publishers report that the dispenser releases a controlled amount of paper after the ad finishes; users who prefer not to watch the ad can reportedly pay roughly 0.5 RMB to skip it.
Local authorities and vendors say the measure is intended to reduce waste and deter theft of complimentary supplies in high-traffic toilets; critics raise concerns about accessibility (for example, users without a working phone or internet) and the optics of monetizing a basic public resource.
Context: similar technology has appeared, for example, facial-recognition dispensers have reportedly been used in some Beijing parks to limit paper take-aways and reporting places the current systems in that broader effort to prevent misuse of public supplies.
https://people.com/public-bathrooms-require-visitors-to-watch-ad-for-toilet-paper-11837928
Top comments (0)