Deregulation + Small limited government= a virtual caste system?
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How Is The Social Credit Score Determined?
In China, government agencies and private companies are collecting enormous amounts of data about e.g. an individual’s finances, social media activities, credit history, health records, online purchases, tax payments, legal matters, and people you associate with in, addition to images gathered from China’s 200 million surveillance cameras and facial recognition software. Data that indicates non-compliance with legally prescribed social and economic obligations and contractual commitments are flagged up and aggregated on a government-wide level to determine the trustworthiness of companies and individuals. Such a trustworthiness score can fluctuate based on actions—going up for good deeds such as donating to charity and can go down for negative actions such as getting a speeding ticket.
China began to create this system in 2010 as a pilot program but officially began implementing the construction of a nationwide social credit system in 2014. According to the government’s document, Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System (2014-2020), all of the social credit scores for its 1.4 billion citizens will be publicly available by 2020. At that time, there will be a searchable file of every Chinese citizen that represents all the data collected from public and private companies to track their social credit.
How Is A Social Credit Score Used?
The idea is to create more transparency about companies and individuals that are breaking the law or are non-compliant with official obligations and incentivize the right behaviors with the overall goal of improving governance and market order. The Chinese Communist Party intends the social credit score system to “allow the trustworthy to roam freely under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.”
Even though the system is still under development it currently plays out in real life in myriad ways for private citizens, businesses and government officials.
Generally, higher credit scores give people a variety of advantages. Individuals are often given perks such as discounted energy bills and access or better visibility on dating websites. Often, those with higher social credit scores are able to forgo deposits on rental properties, bicycles, and umbrellas. They can even get better travel deals. In addition, Chinese hospitals are currently experimenting with social credit scores. A social credit score above 650 at one hospital allows an individual to see a doctor without lining up to pay.
If an individual has a lower social credit score, they might find their ability to purchase what they want such as high-quality goods or a new home to be restricted. They might also be prohibited from buying airline and train tickets or renting an apartment. Some people with low social credit scores can expect to be blocked from dating sites and not be able to enroll their children in a school of their choice.
