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

Earlier this year, home goods maker Kohler launched a smart camera called the Dekoda that attaches to your toilet bowl, takes pictures of it, and analyzes the images to advise you on your gut health.

Anticipating privacy fears, Kohler said on its website that the Dekoda’s sensors only see down into the toilet, and claimed that all data is secured with “end-to-end encryption.”

The company’s use of the expression “ end-to-end encryption ” is, however, wrong, as security researcher Simon Fondrie-Teitler pointed out in a blog post on Tuesday.

By reading Kohler’s privacy policy , it’s clear that the company is referring to the type of encryption that secures data as it travels over the internet, known as TLS encryption — the same that powers HTTPS websites.

Using the right terms