As Social Credit is beginning to make its way through Chinese cities over time as an attempt to determine citizen “trustworthiness”, many are curious to see how the system will play out in the country. According to the proposed system, not only will Social Credit restore “trust” and “sincerity” in China, but also aid in other ailments in Chinese society, such as lack of food, instability in healthcare, and government corruption. Aside from these predicted impacts to China, other aspects of the future for the country are outlined below:
Revival of the dang’an – 档案: Chinese word meaning “record”. In past decades, the dang’an was a collection of personal health, relational, academic, and career records which has since lost value in modern day. China currently has no way to monitor any forms of credit for its citizens, unlike financial credit scores that exist in the United States. With the revival of the dang’an, all aspects of a citizen’s history will be factored into their credit score.
Perks for citizens: for those with high social credit scores, there are numerous benefits. These range from discounts on utilities, favorable loan rates, and waivers on deposits for bike rentals (Arsène, 2018). On the other hand, citizens with low credit scores are penalized. Not only could these citizens lost their right to homes, jobs, and transportation, but all of the names of “blacklisted” citizens are posted online for all to see. Furthermore, friends and families of blacklisted citizens could also face repercussions to their own social credit scores.
Chinese protesters, who in turn were made jobless and homeless, sit with their belongings in a Beijing city center.
Cybersecurity: due to the fact that the Chinese Social Credit system will be a completely electronic database, there is the possibility for cybersecurity errors like hacking and breakdown. Even if the database is monitored with high security, there still is the chance of error, as is any collection of data.
How do you think Chinese Social Credit systems will play out in the future?
References:
Arsène, S. (2018). China, social credit and the future of global governance. Retrieved from https://international.thenewslens.com/article/96101