(PCM) Geez! We never knew that park toilet paper theft in China was such a big problem. It must be a big issue because the Temple of Heaven park in Beijing has installed new machines that use facial recognition software to only allot so much toilet paper per user.
There has got to be some kind of privacy violations in place here, as we certainly wouldn’t want our faces scanned each time that we enter a bathroom. In fact, there is something about the idea of cameras in bathrooms that doesn’t make us feel comfortable in general. Definitely not a good idea.
The machines work by scanning visitors’ faces for three seconds before rationing 24 to 27.5 inches of toilet paper, which the park upgraded from one-ply to two-ply. Wow, how very generous of them! The machines are placed at the height of an average man or woman and only dispense toilet paper every nine minutes.
Users have already begun complaining saying that the process for using the bathroom at the park is taking twice as long now and when the machine malfunctions it can take extra time to get the required amount of toilet paper.
There was also some concern over certain bathroom situations that could require additional toilet paper to which a park spokesperson responded, “If we encounter guests who have diarrhea or any other situation in which they urgently require toilet paper, then our staff on the ground will directly provide the toilet paper.”
The park felt the need to install the facial recognition machines because too many park guests were using too much toilet paper and stealing some extra on the side to take home. Definitely seems like a bit of a drastic measure to us and something tells us that these machines will be making an exit sometime in the near future. Bathroom + cameras = Not Cool!
