Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories

AOL Tech

AOL
MAIL

Switched

Tech Tips

A Baker's Dozen Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Mac

Advice

Switched's Comprehensive Guide to Video Game Emulators

Locked Toilets in Finland Unlocked with TXT Messages

by Terrence O'Brien on February 5, 2008 at 09:44 AM

Fed up with vandals and people who don't light a match after dropping the kids off at the pool, the Finish government has started locking the country's public, roadside toilets. Signs posted outside inform the user that in order to unlock the lavatory, one must text the word "open" (in Finish) to a short code and the door will be unlocked remotely.

The system will allow police to track down criminals, vandals, and those who leave the seat up.

From Boing Boing

Related links:

Tags: bathroom, breaking+news, restroom, sms, text messaging, texting, TextMessaging, toilet, top

Comments

Mike SandersFeb 5th 2008 11:41AM

Neutral

This has been an issue, which has concerned me for some time... Although, I don't plan to travel to Finland, anytime soon, it's gratifying to see that they take public-hygeine, seriously.

Dislike

Report

MeganFeb 5th 2008 12:42PM

Neutral

That counds like a good idea. But what if you don't have a cell phone. Yikes!

Dislike

Report

JupiterFeb 5th 2008 12:48PM

Neutral

So what happens when someone needs to go but doesn't have a mobile phone? Or if they have one but it needs charging? Seems to me that there'll be a bit more fouling of the hedges as a result. I can see the point, but I think it's flawed from the start, unless you're going to mandate that everyone must have a mobile phone.

Dislike

Report

ditchpasserFeb 5th 2008 12:50PM

Neutral

Sounds like a load of ---p! When you gotta go who wants to take the time for that, besides does everyone in that place have a cell phone? or is it just poor folks without cells they want to exclude?

Dislike

Report

Daniel GauntFeb 5th 2008 1:49PM

Neutral

Thats a good idea, toilets in the uk are disgusting, they should do it here
http://freeextras.blogspot.com/
http://lifeorsomethingnotquitelikeit.blogspot.com/

Dislike

Report

Commend from FinlandFeb 5th 2008 4:36PM

Neutral

Everyone has cell phones here :) Here's some public toilets where the door opens by using a coin, it's more likely that the poor person who needs to use the toilet is carrying a cell phone than any coins.

Dislike

Report

Justin SFeb 5th 2008 7:19PM

Neutral

Even if you have a fully-charged cell-phone, who's to say you want to pay for sending a text message? Especially if you have to frequent a public bathroom often; the charges really add up. I could only imagine the amount of people who simply find that desolate bush and "take care of business."

Dislike

Report

Aren't They CleverFeb 6th 2008 9:35AM

Neutral

How terribly clever of Finnish government leaders to realize that vandals and people who don't light a match after dropping off their kids at the pool (whatever horrendous offense that might be in Finland)do not have cell phones.

Dislike

Report

Add your comments

Your comments:

Remember me

E-Mail me when someone replies to this comment

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.