The Social Credit System (Simplified ChineseL 社会信用; Pinyin: Shèhuì xìnyòng) is a system of rewards and punishments in the People's Republic of China. It does not involve numerical scores or violations of privacy.[1] To make it clear, the goal of the China social credit system is to provide a holistic assessment of an individual’s, or a company’s, trustworthiness. The consequences of a poor social credit score could be serious. It may affect travel prospects, employment, access to finance, and the ability to enter into contracts. On the other hand, a positive credit score could make a range of business transactions much easier.
Goal
The China social credit system supports the following goals and promotes the following agenda:[2]
- Financial creditworthiness, as in most countries, firms and individuals need a way of assessing whether others are a safe bet for lending/extending goods on credit. The social credit system aims to rectify this gap in China’s financial and business ecosystem.
- Judicial enforcement, enforcement of judicial decisions (such as judgement debts) has proven particularly difficult in China. Part of the purpose of the social credit system is to find new enforcement mechanisms for existing laws and court decisions.
- Commercial trustworthiness, this means improving compliance and anti-fraud mechanisms for commercial enterprises, and those who participate in them.
- Societal trustworthiness, this covers the broader goal in the social credit system of supporting a more ‘moral’ society. We see this goal at work in social credit initiatives which value honesty, hard work and devotion to family.
- Government integrity, The social credit system is ‘self-reflective’: Bureaucrats and politicians themselves will be subject to the regime, with the goal of reducing corruption.
History
The Chinese government first announced plans to create a social credit system in 2014. In early 2018, 12 cities implemented the foundation of a social credit system.[3]
Blacklists
People may be blacklisted for disobeying court orders or not paying back debt despite being able to. Blacklisted people may not be able to take government jobs, send their children to private school, book flights, or ride in the most comfortable compartments of trains. The most common way to get off a blacklist is to repay debt, but some people can also be delisted by making a formal apology.[4]
Redlists
The opposite of blacklists are redlists, which reward people for good behavior such as paying bills or taxes on time, donating blood, or doing volunteer work. Redlisted individuals have prioritized job applications and receive discounts, coupons, and free tourist accommodations.[4]
Slander in bourgeois media
The Social Credit System is slandered and misrepresented by the bourgeoisie as a tool by the Chinese government to control and suppress the people in China.[5][6][7]
References
- ↑ Brian Berletic (2022-11-28). "Brian Berletic on China’s ‘social credit score system’: fact or fiction?" The Communists. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ↑ Zhang, Chenchen (2020). “Governing (through) trustworthiness: technologies of power and subjectification in China’s social credit system. Critical Asian Studies. See also Blomberg, Marianne von (2020). The Social Credit System and China’s Rule of Law. 10.1007/978-3-658-29653-7_6.
- ↑ Manya Koetse (2018-10-30). "Insights into the Social Credit System on Chinese Online Media vs Its Portrayal in Western Media" What's on Weibo. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Shazeda Ahmed (2019-05-01). "The Messy Truth About Social Credit" Logic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
- ↑ Katie Canales (2021-12-24-T10:00). "China's 'social credit' system ranks citizens and punishes them with throttled internet speeds and flight bans if the Communist Party deems them untrustworthy" Buisness Insider.
- ↑ "China Assigns Every Citizen A 'Social Credit Score' To Identify Who Is And Isn't Trustworthy" (2018-04-24-T18:56). CBS New York.
- ↑ "Social Credit Score: A Dangerous System".