This Chinese university wants students to scan QR codes before taking a shower

China loves QR codes. China loves mobile technology. But do Chinese students love mobile technology enough to scan a QR code every time they want to take a shower?

Hunan’s Changsha University of Science and Technology rolled out a new shower system, according to local media reports. It requires users to connect their phones to a smart water meter via bluetooth. Then, they have to scan a QR code before they take a shower and scan again after they finish.

It’s supposed to allow the university to know how much to charge students for water. According to the university, it means students don’t have to juggle too many access cards. (But it also probably means they should have a waterproof phone.)

But the system was blasted by the local media and Weibo users. Many social media users pointed out that their schools make students download too many different apps already – for classes, food, and now even showers.

“Why don’t they put one on the toilet as well?” one Weibo user says.

Many Weibo users question the new system. / Photo credit: Xiaoxiang Morning Post on Miaopai

In fairness to the schools, adding the technology is part of the government’s push for smart campuses, which even includes assigning roommates with recommendation algorithms. Around 60,000 schools – roughly one in every four in the country – are trying to use AI software to grade student homework. Some are even installing facial recognition cameras in classrooms to analyze students’ faces – to see if they’re dozing off.

The new shower system allows people online to take a jab at one common problem among Chinese app makers: gathering too much information.

One Weibo user jokes, “Does the app ask for camera access?”