As of today, Kohler Health has released its newest product, the Dekoda Bathroom Camera. This innovative device attaches to the ring of the toilet bowl and utilizes its integrated AI to analyze the color, shape, and frequency of bowel movements. It then reports any detected health issues, such as dehydration, digestive problems, and early signs of infections, through an app available for download on iOS.
While there are indeed some compelling arguments for the potential benefits of the Dekoda Bathroom Camera, such as early health problem detection and potential savings on medical bills, I believe this is a really, really bad idea. This is a major security breach because it has AI monitoring you when you are most vulnerable. The bathroom is supposed to be a place of security for one thing, and secondly, I don’t believe this is even that necessary. If I believed I had any potential health issues, I would call a doctor and schedule an appointment. But to be frank, I don’t need anyone or anything watching me do my business.
Some people believe that this could be a breakthrough in the health industry. Every time we flush the toilet, we could be flushing away potential clues and signs of health problems, and we don’t even think twice about it. For instance, the Dekoda Bathroom Camera claims to detect health issues such as dehydration, digestive problems, and even early signs of infections. Some of us might also be interested in knowing what it is that our body is throwing away, so this helps solve that curiosity. After all, it can save a ton on medical bills. Plus, it’s subtle, with the sleek curved design colored to match most toilet bowls, so it’s “hard to notice.”
But you have to think for a second. If you went over to a friend’s house and asked to use their bathroom, would you really want a camera watching you do your business in someone else’s house? And I beg to differ; this isn’t as subtle as Kohler was aiming for. This juts out of the edge of the bowl, so if you were to lift the seat, you would be able to see the attachment. Besides, it’s a little bump on the side of the toilet from the general eye; hard to notice, huh?
Another prominent issue is the camera being hacked, which could lead to unauthorized access to a visual of your bathroom, raising significant privacy concerns. Despite Kohler’s assurances that the camera can only capture the inside of the toilet bowl, the risk of hacking remains. Kohler claims the camera is secure, requiring fingerprint authentication to unlock the camera and access recordings. However, there remains a risk that data could be stored until it is analyzed. This potential vulnerability highlights the importance of assessing both the security risks and the protections that Kohler has in place to safeguard user privacy.
Kohler states that the Dekoda Bathroom Camera records data securely using state-of-the-art encryption technology. The company assures users that all data is stored locally until a fingerprint authorization is given for analysis, ensuring that external access is restricted. Additionally, Kohler maintains that users maintain complete control over their data, allowing them to delete any records if desired. However, even with these measures, the potential for unauthorized access raises concerns.
That brings up another point; if you were at that friend’s house and you said that your stomach was hurting, imagine them getting up and going to the bathroom, tapping their finger on the side of the bowl, and coming back with analytics of your business trip; awkward, right?
And I haven’t even touched base on the price. The price for the hardware is $600, and the subscription fee for the app that tracks your data is from $70 to $160 per month. That is outrageous. This is less than a foot tall, about four inches wide, and has a depth of 3.5 inches. This is NOT worth $600 to me. That means the first year of owning the camera, you would have spent at least $1000 on keeping the data. That is not a smart investment.
Kohler believes they made a large breakthrough in the medical industry, potentially saving money. I say you have to think twice before buying this. Are you really willing to spend $1000 a year on data from your bathroom trips, with the potential of the camera being hacked and your location being compromised?
