Restricting Access in Society via a Social Credit System
China is implementing a social credit system which further advances the big brother authoritarian control over people's lives. Will this social experiment in China proved to be the testing ground for the rest of the world, such as a future one world government?
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The social credit system will judge the trustworthiness of individuals in a society. Daily activities are monitored and evaluated with a positive or negative rating. Where you are, what you do, what you say, what you buy, hours spent doing things like watching TV or playing video games, your ability to pay bills and taxes, financial responsibility, etc. It's like the site Yelp, but reviews are done by other people, it's the state that's watching over your shoulder like a nanny or parent that will restrict or allow you to do certain things.
Not only are you rated individually, but you're also ranked against the entire population to determine how well you fit in relative to everyone else. Your ratio will determine if you are eligible for a job, get a mortgage, get a loan, rent a car, where your kids can go to school, what Internet speed you'll have, what access to restaurants you have, and whether you have the right to access public travel.
The system monitors what you do in many areas of life. If trust is broken in one area, it affects your position in all areas where restrictions can be applied everywhere else. If you make a late payment, if you make trouble in a public place, if you make sexist comments or utter profanities, your rating will be negatively affected and reverberate throughout the whole social credit system to impact your rights and privileges everywhere else. Those who become discredited will hardly be able to do anything in society as they become blacklisted from being able to do certain things.
The context of the situation isn't taken in account in these so-called trust algorithms. You might miss a payment for a bill because you're in a hospital instead of actually being a freeloader or poorly responsible person. The infractions are minor as well, such as having your parked bike partially on a footpath, or making an apology that is deemed fake and insincere.
The social credit system was planned for deployment by 2020, but beginning this May 2018, people who have a low rank in the social credit system could begin being banned from buying plane or train tickets for a certain period of time, even up to a year of not being able to travel. More than 7,000,000 people are on the social credit blacklist so far.
This is a chilling move towards Orwell's 1984 mixed with positive reinforcement reward systems like achievements in games. People will be living in fear of failure to conform to social norms. If you do "good" and prove yourself "trustworthy", you can get rewarded with special privileges. If you don't live up to standards imposed by the central authority, you get punished and basic rights to use things in society getting taken from you. Everything ends up being a privilege that is bestowed by the "good grace" of the state.
The level of freedom we have is counterbalanced by the level control over our lives, where we might seem to be taking 1 step forward, but often that comes with taking two steps back. Things become more free in one area, but overall there is more tightening restriction in the aggregate.
It's not just China. The USA saw the Patriot Act in the past 2 decades. Canada, the UK and other countries have so-called "hate speech" laws that imprison people for speaking their minds when it goes against what the government wants to allow you to say. They are just thought crime laws for the most part.
References:
- Big data meets Big Brother as China moves to rate its citizens
- China’s Chilling ‘Social Credit’ Blacklist
- China will ban people with poor ‘social credit’ from planes and trains
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Fortunately society has a built in way of fighting this.
The black market.
The outcasts.
If society becomes an us vs them situation, you end up with a seedy underbelly. A group that is much more prone to violence. And everyone in the community knows this and feels it.
Instead of making a utopia, such social manipulative thing will destroy the society. Either everyone will ignore this system, or the society is doomed.
If you try to control people by limiting their food,.. well, when a person gets hungry enough the will steal and kill for food. So, quickly it becomes less about control, and bluntly about killing all the dissidents.
In a police state, the police always end up dead.
Indeed, after enough chaos, chaos teaches, and people see it for what it is, and finally stand against it. When in early limited chaos, it's less visible, and less will to stand against it because it's more "tolerable" so it persists and grows...
When it dawned on me that this isn't mere hyperbole, but is actually true, I felt the shiver of an historic revelation. Did you just write this here, or is this a quote?
It was a comment from someone else who did the whole history thing, analyzing what happened. I do not remember who, but it always stuck with me.
It is why i have penned some comments saying, please cops, listen to me, because where this is going you all end up dead.
The UK from what I understand is right behind them. I read today where legislation has been introduced to "regulate information." By whom, of course, is the question- the paragons of truth at the BBC? Perhaps they'll create a "Ministry of Truth," now there's an original thought!
Hehe, yeah they should call it that and just be in your face obvious without caring what people will do because people won't do anything... they will just accept it for the most part, many thinking it is honestly about truth.. lol. I'm reminded of the US Orwellian shift for the Department of War, clear and precise, then obfuscated to warp into the Department of Defense... lol.
The Social Credit System could definitely be used to enhance society. But in the hands of the wrong party, it could be used for #EVIL.. China has a storied history of oppression and using heavy-handed tactics on its citizens. This new system will prove to be yet another tool to restrict the liberties and freedoms of the individual. Thanks for sharing this post.
It could, but, how do you propose it be done to enhance society? Thanks for the feedback.
I dont see how it could be used to enhance society. What might enhance society is when the citizens got such a rating on the politicians :) But controlling citizens will only ever lead to a more authoritarian state.
In the history of democracies, the best systems were always those that had strong and free citizens. This on the other hand reminds me off Sovjet East Germany combined with modern technology.
I simply meant the Social Credit System could be implemented in a positive manner to elevate individuals. For Example: Everyone in society who is working hard everyday and keeping their nose to the grindstone should be recognized. Such people could be awarded an official designation stating these people are dependable and hardworking. Whenever, there is a new instrument to identify the law breakers it tends to completely overlook the righteous. Thanks for your query.
on one hand this is good, on the one hand this is a bad thing. We can not move freely, whereas man has an instinct to live free of strong attachments, which limits his own potential
How do you view this as a good thing? Thanks for the feedback.
I have reading about this since yesterday and it is scary as hell. People may be allowing this evil now but would soon regret it. I am not sure as what would be the end of this but I know this for sure if people do not take a step now then it might be too late for a lot of them.
We also need to remember that history is proof that several tribes were were subject to slavery not just because of the evil oppressor but also because they did not act on time to avoid a cruel fate.
What do you mean?
I mean it in the sense of - “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
What this would now mean is that if it can happen in one of the most powerful countries today, then how long would it take for this idea to spawn in our own hope. What is actually frightening is the scope if this thing. Once the wheel starts turning it would make other gears turn as well - media, schools......
I know it might sound cliche but this kind (forget the policy even) of idea has to be nipped in the bud
very impressive
I must say this is indeed a great innovation to the people of china i wish it reaches my country Nigeria....
i don't think you understand how this is a negative...
I reckon there are folks that view those negative aspects we contemplate and shudder at as positives. Dissidents unable to ride the train? Good! More room for my friends. Some people are inherently joiners and herd-followers. Particularly China has a long history of being a society(s) of folks where the basic unit of society is society, and individual rights, aspirations, and outcomes are secondary to a stable, prosperous community--if they count at all.
There are people that are happy to live in prison, indeed, some commit crimes just so they can return to where their lives made sense. I once heard a serial violent criminal remark about prison 'God help me, I do love it so.'
Not everyone is best served, even theoretically, by being free. For some people, slavery is preferable. For them, freedom is the enemy of human felicity.
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HoundDogThis scares the hell out of me. Yes the shadow government Bilderberg group is probably beta testing it in China. Wow. It bans free thought or individualism if you want to eat and live. It leads to a one world government, and if you speak up they can probably also turn off your money supply. Not only is it Orwellian but it is biblical as I reference having the mark of the beast to buy and sell. OMG If you are in a nursing home and you act up they could decide to not feed you or use social shaming to make you straighten up. Why should we live in a world like that? I would not want to. Thanks @krnel
@krnel thank you for upvoting my latest post on my blog, I really appreciate it. I cam here to show some love. My upvote ain't worth anything though.
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Now unto the post. I live in Jamaica and next year a similar system will be placed upon us. they will be forcing us to sign up for a new identification system and if we refuse we will either be going to prison or have to pay a lot of money. I think that babylon knows it's time has run out and so they are tryng their very best to make us slaves before we overthrow their wickedness.