China, in some respects at least, is starting to resemble George Orwell's dystopian world, replete with social credit scores to control its citizenry's behavior. Now, apparently, you can add public toilets to this mission creep.
To wit, as per an Instagram post by China Insider, people in some public washrooms now have to scan a QR code printed on designated toilet paper dispensers, and then watch the resulting ad on their smartphones to acquire a measly dole of the sanitary paper.
What's more, if you need additional toilet paper or simply want to skip the ad-watching process, you'd have to pay 0.5 Yuan (around 70 cents). Chinese officials, however, defend this naked mercantilism as a waste prevention measure, one that disincentivizes citizens from using more toilet paper than what might be necessary in the strictest sense of the word.
Unsurprisingly, the comments under China Insider's reel contain copious references to the Orwellian undertones that this measure evokes.
Of course, this is not the most extreme measure that Chinese officials have instituted in recent years to regulate access to what should be a freely available amenity. Back in 2017, Beijing's Temple of Heaven park actually installed toilet paper dispensers with facial recognition tech, raising serious questions about user privacy and ubiquitous, state-enabled monitoring.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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