China’s social credit system is a nationwide program officially launched in 2014 to improve the country’s trust and social stability by incentivizing good behavior and punishing bad behavior. It’s a complex system that uses a variety of methods to assess the trustworthiness of individuals and organizations, including financial reputation, legal records, and even social media activity. The system has drawn a lot of attention inside and outside China, with some praising its potential to create a more honest and trustworthy society, while others have raised concerns about its potential for abuse and lack of transparency.
At its core, the social credit system uses data and technology to create a more efficient and just society. The system is designed to be comprehensive, using information from various sources to calculate the social reputation of an individual or organization. These sources include financial credit scores, legal documents, and even social media activity. The social credit score is then used to determine whether an individual or organization is eligible for certain privileges or penalties.
An example of an application of a social credit system is in the financial sector. In China, individuals and organizations with high social credit scores often qualify for lower loan rates, while loans with lower scores may be rejected outright. This is because the social credit system is designed to incentivize good behavior and punish bad behavior, with those who score higher considered more trustworthy and responsible.
Another example of the use of social credit systems is in the tourism industry. In China, people with higher social credit scores are generally more likely to book travel arrangements, while those with lower scores may be denied a flight or train ticket. That’s because the social credit system is designed to encourage good behavior and discourage bad behavior, with people with higher scores considered more trustworthy and responsible.
Social credit systems are also used to punish individuals and organizations for bad behavior. For example, people with low social credit scores may be excluded from certain types of jobs or denied access to certain services. Organizations with low social credit scores may be denied a license or a license to operate.
While the social credit system has the potential to create a more trustworthy and accountable society, it also raises concerns about its potential abuse. There are concerns about the lack of transparency in the system, as it is not always clear how an individual’s or organization’s social credit score is calculated. There are also concerns that the system could punish individuals or organizations or suppress dissent for political reasons.
There are also concerns about the possibility of using the social credit system to discriminate against certain groups. For example, there are concerns that the system could be used to discriminate against individuals or organizations on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, or political opinion.
Despite these concerns, the social credit system has gained widespread support in China, with many applauding its potential to build a more trustworthy and responsible society. It remains to be seen how the system will evolve over time and whether it will achieve its goals.
Based on this line of thought, we will then ask ourselves:
Is the Chinese social score system applicable to Western countries despite their cultural differences?
Thanks to the study we made above we can continue on the fact that the major difference between China and the western countries is found in the interpretation of the methods used rather than the real application of the tools. As seen for the online rating of accommodations or restaurants, the reason for such a difference in mindset is the culture and the way the tool is perceived by society. We will see if this Chinese social score system is transposable to Western countries and if it is not already the case. What is the next step? Will security, climate issues, geo-political tensions, the growing gap between social classes, be accelerators of the use of personal data of the population by the governments of Western countries like China?