Mobile Toilet with Transparent Window

Installing transparent windows in mobile toilets is unreasonable and infringes on the privacy of users. Such situations should be avoided and rectified promptly.

Incident Overview

On February 5th, a woman in Henan captured an embarrassing scene where citizens using a mobile toilet were essentially being 'live-streamed'. The video showed that the upper part of the toilet had transparent windows without any遮挡 (obstruction/cover, here we use 'obstruction' for better context in English), allowing actions such as pulling up pants and adjusting clothes to be clearly visible from the outside. Moreover, there were many people waiting outside the toilet.

Netizens' Opinions

• Guess of Reversed Glass Installation: Some netizens speculated that the window glass might have been installed incorrectly. Normally, it should be impossible to see inside from the outside, while allowing visibility from the inside out. This design error led to the exposure of users' privacy.
• Guess of Reflective Film Issues: Others guessed whether a reflective film had been applied. During the day, when the outside light is bright, it would be impossible to see inside from the outside; however, at night when the inside is lit, people outside could see everything inside clearly. The characteristic differences of this reflective film under different lighting conditions posed a risk of privacy leakage.
• Questioning the Use of Facilities: Some netizens also questioned why such public facilities could be put into use. They believed that the toilet might not have undergone inspection after installation or that the person in charge did not visit the site for inspection, resulting in such a serious issue still being put into use.

Official Response and Rectification

The official response stated that the installation of transparent windows in the mobile toilet was due to the aging of the glass paper. The aged glass paper lost its original obscuring function, rendering the transparent windows unable to protect privacy. Currently, the relevant mobile toilets have been towed away for rectification to address the privacy leakage issue.

Reasonable Suggestion

The woman who filmed the video hoped that relevant departments would add curtains to such mobile toilet facilities. This is a very reasonable and effective suggestion. Adding curtains can quickly and cost-effectively solve the privacy protection issue without altering the overall structure of the toilet, ensuring that users have a relatively private space when using the toilet and avoiding similar embarrassing situations from happening again.