China Is Designing And Testing A New System To Rate Its Citizens — Based On Total Surveillance

Quite a few people have probably read about the "social credit" system that China is planning to introduce by 2020 and is now testing in some regions. The system is going to give each citizen a rating based on hundreds of parameters - from their credit record to their online purchases, including the books they read and friends they keep (friends with a low rating will bring yours down, too). Currently, eight private companies are experimenting with this system. The two best-known projects are run by big data collectors — companies that own social networks, messengers, and, most crucially, the most popular payment systems used to pay online, in taxis, restaurants, and even for person-to-person transactions.The story reads dystopian, but the most interesting part of it examines the motivation of people to join a system like this. And the initial design includes some pretty good rewards for "good behavior" — people with high ratings will have access not only to things like cheaper credit, or deposit-free car hire, but better healthcare, education, and work. Those with low ratings will gradually be locked out of the society of "good citizens", become unable to get a job, a loan, or hire a car. With the ratings made public, one will be able to gauge the "trustworthiness" of everyone one meets, instantly. Finally, one would be able to avoid all those mistakes... sounds like a dream, doesn't it?