China’s proposal is like a credit score that could encompass your entire life, from work performance to Internet activity.
China’s proposals for a “social credit system” don’t seem that radical when you read the dry, official plan posted by the government last year. As befits circulars from a socialist regime, the language is aggrandizing but unspecific:
Accelerating the construction of a social credit system is an important basis for comprehensively implementing the scientific development view and building a harmonious Socialist society; it is an important method to perfect the Socialist market economy system, accelerating and innovating social governance, and it has an important significance for strengthening the sincerity consciousness of the members of society, forging a desirable credit environment, raising the overall competitiveness of the country and stimulating the development of society and the progress of civilization.
Within all that verbiage, however, is something very radical. China is proposing to assess its citizens’ behavior over a totality of commercial and social activities, creating an uber-scoring system. When completed, the model could encompass everything from a person’s chat-room comments to their performance at work, while the score could be used to determine eligibility for jobs, mortgages, and social services.
“They’ve been working on the credit system for the financial industry for a while now,” says Rogier Creemers, a China expert at Oxford University. “But, in recent years, the idea started growing that if you’re going to assess people’s financial status, you should equally be able to do that with other modes of trustworthiness.”
The document talks about the “construction of credibility”—the ability to give and take away credits—across more than 30 areas of life, from energy saving to advertising. “It’s like Yelp reviews with the nanny state watching over your shoulder, plus finance, plus all of these other things,” says Creemers, who translated the plan.
The system, overseen by the State Council, is made possible by two factors. One, it’s now possible to gather information about behavior as never before. As we use the Internet and different devices, we’re leaving behind a huge footprint of data. Second, the Chinese government sees no reason to safeguard its citizens’ data rights if it thinks that data can benefit them, says Creemers.
“In Europe and the U.S., there’s a notion that the state should be constrained, that it’s not right to intervene in people’s lives, unless for justified reasons. In China, the state has no qualms about that. It says ‘data allows us to make society for better, so we’re going to use it,'” he says.
Read more: China Is Building The Mother Of All Reputation Systems To Monitor Citizen Behavior
The Latest on: Social credit system
via Google News
The Latest on: Social credit system
- Interview: Muhammad Yunus on micro-credit & social impact models for a changed worldon March 5, 2021 at 6:26 am
Microcredit programmes must learn to survive under all disaster situations. Giving up is not an option. One has to be innovative. Complaining about one thing or other for failure will not get ...
- Why your credit union needs an employee social advocacy programon March 4, 2021 at 4:00 pm
There are new tools that have recently been available to your credit union that can help make your social media 150% more engagement-worthy, and 60% more trusted. Taking advantage of these tools just ...
- How Kalinga Institute Of Social Sciences Inspired My Political Feminismon March 4, 2021 at 1:42 am
"When women are empowered, their children and next generations can be most definitely empowered." - Jamuna Madi, speaking of her path to political feminism ...
- VW World’s Rehoboam: Germans Use AI To Monitor Social Media And Detect Supply Chain Riskson March 3, 2021 at 12:52 pm
The AI system puts Westworld's Rehoboam to shame by monitoring media from around the world to keep track of its suppliers.
- Swiss statistical systems enhanced by big dataon March 3, 2021 at 11:07 am
A huge volume of digital data has been harvested, stored and shared in the last few years from sources such as social media, geolocation systems and aerial images from drones and satellites, giving ...
- NHS, social care and most vulnerable 'betrayed' by Sunak's budgeton March 3, 2021 at 9:54 am
A lack of support for care homes, the NHS and people on benefits led to claims that Rishi Sunak’s budget had left the country’s most vulnerable people “betrayed”. In his statement to the Commons, the ...
- We Need To Start Giving Soft Skills More Crediton March 2, 2021 at 5:36 pm
As we work towards a long-term economic recovery, policy makers and postsecondary institutions need to ensure younger learners and mid-career professionals are acquiring the right ...
- UW-Madison extends campus banking relationship with UW Credit Unionon March 2, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Madison’s preferred financial partner since 2009. Per the new contract, UW Credit Union will maintain its branch bank at Union South and its network of free ATMs across the UW campus. The contract ...
- Lawmaker seeks to change mental health system following dad’s viral videoon March 2, 2021 at 1:24 pm
With nowhere else to go, a mid-Michigan father took to social media from his vehicle in a hospital parking lot to get help for his son.
- ‘Everything was lit up’: Arch Social Club seeks zoning approval for new marquee signaling rebirth of Pennsylvania Avenueon March 2, 2021 at 5:00 am
A zoning hearing Tuesday afternoon will determine whether the Arch Social Club can proceed with plans to erect a marquee on the facade of the historic 109-year-old building it owns at North and ...
via Bing News