bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Stephen Chen

Some public toilets in Beijing are using facial recognition technology to stop toilet paper theft, the Legal Evening News reports.
At the Temple of Heaven, one of the capital’s busiest tourist sites and a former hotbed of toilet paper kleptomania, a user in need of tissue paper must stand in front of a wall-mounted machine with a high definition camera.
Beijingers exercise collective ownership of public toilet paper
The device’s software remembers recent faces, and if the same a person reappears within a certain period, it refuses to activate the automatic roller.
The current setting per person is 60cm of paper within nine minutes.
For years many residents have been taking reams of paper from public toilets for use at home. Recently, mainland media outlets investigated the phenomenon and found most of the tissue bandits were senior citizens.

Such behaviour has placed a considerable financial burden on public toilet management. Sometimes a newly replenished roll can disappear within a minute, leaving other users an empty holder.
The Temple of Heaven management said they also provided old-school rollers because not all visitors were accepting the new technology.
Firefighters in China rescue man trapped in toilet trying to retrieve dropped mobile phone
The facial camera required a user to remove their hat and sunglasses. It prompted concerns about infringement of privacy, and the face recognition processing time, which is only meant to be three seconds, sometimes takes more than a minute, which is an added frustration for someone who is in a hurry to use the loo.
The smart toilet paper machine has prompted quite a discussion on mainland social media. Most people agree that the behaviour should be stopped.
But a few said the public shouldn’t get too wound up over the issue.
“The cheap paper in public toilet contains lots of toxic materials such as fluorescent agents. Excessive use will only damage their health,” said a user on WeChat.


Why South Korea has become a favourite destination for Chinese tourists this Lunar New Year holiday

China’s box office presales fall over 60% from last year in crucial Lunar New Year window

Social media’s ‘becoming Chinese’ trend can only be a force for good

‘Only a 0.1% chance’: elderly Chinese look for love at Shenzhen’s matchmaking corner

China society

Elderly Chinese toilet paper thieves face up to their crimes

The Temple of Heaven’s new toilet paper dispensers with facial recognition cameras to stop the elderly from pilfering toilet paper. Photo: Handout

=== NO ARCHIVE IMAGE === ATN. TOILETPAPER19. UNDATED HANDOUT

News

China

People & Culture

Beijing public toilets install facial recognition cameras to help resolve the stolen tissue issue


Elderly Chinese toilet paper thieves face up to their crimes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Beijing public toilets install facial recognition cameras to help resolve the stolen tissue issue

Beijing public toilets install facial recognition cameras to help resolve the stolen tissue issue