By Akshita Mathur
The Social Credit System is a way for the Chinese government to rank citizens and businesses on the basis of economic and social reputation. What may seem to be a bizarre episode of Black Mirror, is reality in many parts of China as of mid-2018, with the primary purpose of this system being encouragement of positive behavior. This is to be fully implemented, nationwide by 2020.
This system rewards points on the basis of how socially responsible an individual is, with acts such as caring for one’s children, serving in the military and having a fine-free driving license adding credit. Points can similarly be deducted for refusing to serve in the military, jaywalking, and even for playing too many videogames. The government plans to monitor the above using a mix of both public and private organizations, checking internet searches and credit/debit card records. Individuals with a high credit score have been placed on a red list while those with a poor score have been placed in a black list.
The benefits of this system include the ability for those with a high credit score being able to receive better healthcare, housing and education. In the business sector these benefits can include assurance of quality of product, resulting in a healthier consuming environment.
The system has been widely criticized for its oppressive repercussions. For example, having a low credit can result in individuals not being able to travel abroad, not receive high internet speeds, and in case of the 17 individuals who refused to serve in the military last year, prevent one from receiving higher education. This system can increase social disparity, as those with lower credit scores are likely to receive fewer job opportunities, and hence be in a worse position to care for the future generations, continuing a cycle of economic instability.
Moreover, the system is an added form of authoritarian control, giving the government exponentially increased power over people’s lives. It marginalizes low income groups as the social credit system leaves them unable to aim for a higher standard of living. Those growing up in harsh living conditions are both more likely to have a low social credit score due to high crime rates and require more healthcare due to a poor standard of living. In wake of the system currently being implemented, these individuals would now be further from receiving the care they need as it would be reserved for only those with a high credit. This again limits the population’s right to knowledge as travel would be highly monitored and reserved primarily for those with high credit scores.
The Chinese Social Credit System marginalizes low income sectors of society and takes away a great deal of control from the general population. It could possibly act as a way of limiting availability to information as well as necessary education. It can increase social disparity as knowledge of one’s credit score would be made public on various censuses. This would make it difficult for individuals to get jobs for reasons as small as their online shopping list. Overall, this is a system that discriminates against many groups as well as offers the government access to people’s private information, that can lead to halted development.
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