‘End-to-end encrypted’ smart toilet camera is not actually end-to-end encrypted | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/end-to-end-encrypted-smart-toilet-camera-is-not-actually-end-to-end-encrypted/

Kohler, the makers of a smart toilet camera, can access customers' data stored on its servers, and can use customers’ bowl pictures to train AI.

119 points · 24 comments · view on lemmy.world

24 Comments

markz@suppo.fi · 49 pts · 246d (4 replies)

The Dekoda costs $599 plus a mandatory subscription of at least $6.99 per month.

Who even buys this shit?

Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 246d (3 replies)

Assholes

bravesilvernest@lemmy.ml · 12 pts · 246d (2 replies)

rimshot

zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev · 13 pts · 246d

Aim better, please.

Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 246d

dumbass@piefed.social · 29 pts · 246d (8 replies)

Why would you need an internet access able toilet camera......

JoMiran@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 246d

Bowl movement analysis? Your poop says a lot about your internal state of affairs.

WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world · -12 pts · 246d (6 replies)

Have you tried brain damaging yourself? If that fails, repeat until you something or whatever.

dumbass@piefed.social · 7 pts · 246d (4 replies)

Seems like you've tried it already, you weird fuck.

WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 245d (3 replies)

Username checks out!

I'll give you a hand... The implication is that you need to be brain damaged to want a toilet cam.

dumbass@piefed.social · 1 pts · 245d (2 replies)

Well, judging by the downvotes, not many people got that, so...

WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 245d (1 reply)

Yeah but most people are idiots, so...

dumbass@piefed.social · 2 pts · 245d

Could also be worded a bit weird.

anomnom@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 246d

Get brain damaged so badly you can detect it with your poop camera.

RobotToaster@mander.xyz · 7 pts · 246d (4 replies)

Reading TFA it seems like it is encrypted when it's sent to their servers, a security researcher just doesn't like the use of the term "end to end" to describe that.

It would be impossible to analyse the images if it wasn't decrypted, so it seems a little silly.

0x0@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 246d

it is encrypted when it’s sent to their servers

So HTTPS.

entwine@programming.dev · 9 pts · 246d

It would be impossible to analyse the images if it wasn’t decrypted, so it seems a little silly.

What's silly, that Kohler is deliberately misusing a popular term for advertising purposes, or that a security research called them out for false advertising?

E2EE is a term used in the context of a messaging app to indicate that the messaging app provider cannot read your messages, only the intended recipient. It makes zero sense to use that term in this case because the messaging app provider is also the recipient.

Yet the marketing people at Kohler saw that this technical terminology is something people associate with "secure" or "private", and just rolled with it. This harms consumers who are inevitably mislead into making a purchase decision, and it harms the broader tech industry as consumers lose the ability to understand complex privacy technologies through simple terminology like "E2EE"

bravesilvernest@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 246d

I think its more hijacking the terminology rather than anything else

krellor@fedia.io · 3 pts · 246d

Yeah, I guess they could use the term point-to-point like point of sales systems define it, but it seems a little semantic. If the images are encrypted on the camera device, and only decrypted once the contents reach the secured analysis environment, then I don't see how this is misleading customers. Even in the context of messaging apps, users understand that the receiver can decrypt and see the message; it's saying that no intermediary party can.

But good grief, I can't fathom putting a camera in my toilet. I feel bad for folks that are either too worried about their health, or have such issues that this is helpful. There but for the grace of fiber go I.

Grass@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 246d

Fuck just reset humanity.

minkymunkey_7_7@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 246d

Excuse me, what!?

BlueberryWalnut@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 246d

Libb@piefed.social · 2 pts · 246d

(not that) Impatiently waiting for the first connected condoms...

irelephant@programming.dev · 1 pts · 244d

Lemmy is e2e because it has tls of course.