This archive report was first published on 20 July 2019.
Mothers worldwide have long preached the importance of good manners to their children, urging them to be kind, honest, and responsible. But in China, the government has taken this advice to a whole new level by harnessing technology to create a system that rewards good behavior and punishes bad.
Launched in 2014, the social credit system aims to create a society where people are encouraged to be law-abiding citizens and respect their fellow human beings. The system assigns a score to each citizen based on their financial health, social media activities, health records, online purchases, tax payments, and the company they keep.
But how does it work? The system relies on a network of 200 million surveillance cameras installed in cities across China, which capture images of individuals and match them with information from the country's vast data reservoirs. This information is then used to build a comprehensive profile of each citizen, including their name, age, location, and social media activities.
Those who have a history of bad behavior or are prone to misbehaving are kept under close surveillance, with their information reported to the National Public Credit Information Centre. Every citizen starts with a credit score of 1,000, which can be increased by performing good deeds and decreased by engaging in bad behavior.
But what happens when a citizen's score drops? For example, last year, 17.5 million Chinese were barred from using public transport, including 5.5 million who were prevented from boarding a train. Over 100 people were also unable to leave the country due to tax evasion.
While critics argue that the social credit system is an invasion of privacy, many Chinese citizens see it as a necessary tool to protect themselves from fraudsters and other malicious individuals. However, for those who feel unfairly treated by the system, the government offers little recourse.
As China continues to refine its social credit system, it's likely that other countries will take note and consider implementing similar measures. By harnessing the power of technology and big data, China has created a system that rewards good behavior and punishes bad, proving that a mother's advice is indeed infallible.
