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For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

bloomberg.com

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Re: For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

#3

In the US we have all this as well, we just are secretive about it and people don't know the rules. China is more transparent and open about it. Both systems are dystopian big brother to some, yet utopian to many others.

Oh, not again, this narative seems to be very popular, but it's based on ignorance.

Re: For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

#5
Because in really many chinese people cheat. And cheaters are so rampant that people would rather ask Big Brother to step up.

China started this national wide 诚信 campaign in 2001, during which time the Chinese society is utter chaos and China promptly joined the WTO. China entered its economic boom, but the ultimate outcome is the social credit system.

Highly recommended CCC talk here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18773303

P.S. I think since western kept bitching about the IP theft problem so much, companies should use the social credit system as a targeted weapon to punish cheaters. It works.

Re: For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

#6
post #5

Because in really many chinese people cheat. And cheaters are so rampant that people would rather ask Big Brother to step up. China started this national wide 诚信 campaign in 2001, during which time the Chinese society is utter chaos and China promptly joined the WTO. China entered its economic boom, but the ultimate outcome is the social credit system. Highly recommended CCC talk here https://news.ycombinator.com/ite…

I'm certainly no expert but isn't it only cheating by western standards? Wouldn't it be interesting to have a culture that doesn't conform to that standard and see how it fares? Imho it's like a society where everything is GPL-ed, is it really so wrong? Sure social credit etc are horrible imo but I fail to see that the copying of smart ideas without punishment is inherently wrong. It's non-capitalistic, but inherently wrong? I dont agree with that.

Sure, one (sentient individual) should never be forced to share ideas (or anything for that matter, unless one chooses to deny others that right), but to battle that with government granted monopolies... hmm, idk... I feel like we should be a bit more open-minded.

Re: For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

#7
As the article itself points out, the Chinese media is full of stories about Chinese people being targets of scams by food producers, eCommerce companies selling fakes, and scams by one another (dating scams and so on). These social-credit surveillance programs have been marketed to the people they're aimed at as a benefit that protects them from potential crime. It's the same everywhere - here in the UK we have the most CCTV cameras per capita than anywhere else in the world and they're always talked about by the government and the police as tools for "protecting the people from crime." TV documentaries about the police feature them 'following' criminals around town centres using CCTV. It's impressive. It works. The fact the cameras also gather data about everyone else who isn't a criminal is never mentioned.

People respond well to things that make them feel safer, regardless of whether they're actually safer, so privacy-invading surveillance technology is marketed as a something that does just that. The actual reason why governments want it, in order to keep the people in check, isn't good PR.

In the case of China, they've had decades of government PR telling the people to be fearful, and at the same time selling them the thing that means they can stop being fearful. It's not surprising the people like it.

Re: For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

#8
post #6
post #5

Because in really many chinese people cheat. And cheaters are so rampant that people would rather ask Big Brother to step up. China started this national wide 诚信 campaign in 2001, during which time the Chinese society is utter chaos and China promptly joined the WTO. China entered its economic boom, but the ultimate outcome is the social credit system. Highly recommended CCC talk here https://news.ycombinator.com/ite…

I'm certainly no expert but isn't it only cheating by western standards? Wouldn't it be interesting to have a culture that doesn't conform to that standard and see how it fares? Imho it's like a society where everything is GPL-ed, is it really so wrong? Sure social credit etc are horrible imo but I fail to see that the copying of smart ideas without punishment is inherently wrong. It's non-capitalistic, but inherentl…

Maybe I'm reading "cheating" too literally but I can't imagine any scenario where I would want someone's expertise who copied other's work instead of creating the work themselves. At best I temporarily have a small lead, at worst I'll get sued or kill someone through hiring incompetence.

Re: For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

#9
post #5

Because in really many chinese people cheat. And cheaters are so rampant that people would rather ask Big Brother to step up. China started this national wide 诚信 campaign in 2001, during which time the Chinese society is utter chaos and China promptly joined the WTO. China entered its economic boom, but the ultimate outcome is the social credit system. Highly recommended CCC talk here https://news.ycombinator.com/ite…

We hear a lot about Chinese cheating, from sat scores to ip theft. I've long wondered - why is cheating endemic in China whereas you don't hear the same complaints about people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore; places with large ethnic Chinese populations which should be very similar culturally to mainland China. It seems implausible that the value systems in these places would have so widely diverged in a relatively short amount of time. Or perhaps it is the legal and regulatory environment (or lack thereof) that brings out the worst in people when they know they can get away with it?

Re: For now at least, China's citizens are embracing social-credit systems

#10
post #6
post #5

Because in really many chinese people cheat. And cheaters are so rampant that people would rather ask Big Brother to step up. China started this national wide 诚信 campaign in 2001, during which time the Chinese society is utter chaos and China promptly joined the WTO. China entered its economic boom, but the ultimate outcome is the social credit system. Highly recommended CCC talk here https://news.ycombinator.com/ite…

I'm certainly no expert but isn't it only cheating by western standards? Wouldn't it be interesting to have a culture that doesn't conform to that standard and see how it fares? Imho it's like a society where everything is GPL-ed, is it really so wrong? Sure social credit etc are horrible imo but I fail to see that the copying of smart ideas without punishment is inherently wrong. It's non-capitalistic, but inherentl…

IP theft is not just copying the idea, its stealing of non public documents/prototypes that helps you implement the same product without as much research.
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