China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
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Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#2Nice summary on their website about the privacy restrictions and surveillance of the population due to their dystopian Social Credit System.
If people aren't that familiar with SCS, this should bring them up to speed. I understand that this SCS is not yet fully active and in varying parts being tested throughout the country, but, at some point it will be ready and go live nationally.
What's really worrying is that the SCS is in some parts, bits and pieces already in Western countries and there is a tendency for this privacy encroachment and surveillance creep to continue in the name of "safety" and "national security".
We should be ever more vigilant and actively oppose this type of draconian nightmare that George Orwell envisioned in 1984 and which is being perfected by the CCP and brother #1 Xi Jinping.
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#3A dystopian and Orwellian trend.
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#4Like the article mentions, private sector credit systems have the same or similar result in dictating outcomes, but as long as its not from the state, nobody in the west will care about it. Which is very weird because it is exactly how people end up living in worse neighborhoods even if they have enough money to pay rent elsewhere, leading to worse and worse outcomes and no way to change that.
A state sanctioned one having more immediate effects and denial of service just is too convenient for us to express our opinion about. But as the article itself and commenters mention, credit bureaus in a variety of countries have the same effect.
We should use China's system to galvanize support in addressing our own private sector systems at home.
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#5I’m pretty sure Equifax et al aggregate this info as well (well perhaps not yet your trash-sorting) such as arrest records and probably social media activity as an option, or future option, to swizzle into credit rating.
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#6Like the article mentions, private sector credit systems have the same or similar result in dictating outcomes, but as long as its not from the state, nobody in the west will care about it. Which is very weird because it is exactly how people end up living in worse neighborhoods even if they have enough money to pay rent elsewhere, leading to worse and worse outcomes and no way to change that. A state sanctioned one…
A standard US credit score system may seem to be similar, but there are some important differences:
- a person has access to their file
- there are ways to correct mistakes on file, should any be found
- scoring algorithm is more or less known
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#7Like the article mentions, private sector credit systems have the same or similar result in dictating outcomes, but as long as its not from the state, nobody in the west will care about it. Which is very weird because it is exactly how people end up living in worse neighborhoods even if they have enough money to pay rent elsewhere, leading to worse and worse outcomes and no way to change that. A state sanctioned one…
Private sector credit systems provide layers of indirection in the Western democracies. Add to that mix: surveillance capitalism and third-party doctrine. Result: the same deadly cocktail that people living in authoritarian regimes experience!
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#8I’m pretty sure Equifax et al aggregate this info as well (well perhaps not yet your trash-sorting) such as arrest records and probably social media activity as an option, or future option, to swizzle into credit rating.
Your credit rating doesn't affect your ability to go to a concert or buy an airline ticket.
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#9Like the article mentions, private sector credit systems have the same or similar result in dictating outcomes, but as long as its not from the state, nobody in the west will care about it. Which is very weird because it is exactly how people end up living in worse neighborhoods even if they have enough money to pay rent elsewhere, leading to worse and worse outcomes and no way to change that. A state sanctioned one…
>private sector credit systems have the same or similar result in dictating outcomes
I don't know how anyone can say this with a straight face.
In the west you can be bankrupt and still buy a first class airline ticket or go to a concert or do damn near anything else so long as you aren't using credit to do it.
Re: China's social credit system is both unique and part of a global trend
#10Ultimately, what would such a system be optimized for? The goals will be modulated by the persons or groups in power. From what I've seen, the powerful in China seek a stable, well behaved, productive workforce such that the profit from their labor can accrue to the benefit of the ruling class. A data collection system as pervasive as the social credit system that feeds into a self-optimizing control center that can influence the behavior of the ruled, is economically potent.
Make the goals to get the most profit from the least investment into the work force, coerce their productivity with increasing restrictions and penalties, and you're moving towards virtual enslavement.