Title: THE SECRET WAR
Headings: THE SECRET WAR
THE SECRET WAR
Content: China’s state-imposed system of “social credit” (shehui xinyong), which could rule up to 1.3 billion of its citizens by 2020 or soon thereafter, will assign each person a score based on their loyalty to the state and Communist Party. Patriotism, hard work, “pro-social behavior” - such as being a blood donor and a good driver - and buying Chinese-made products while avoiding “materialism” will be rewarded. Those who do best will receive “green channel” benefits from the state. But woe unto those who are overheard speaking ill of the government, try to look up forbidden topics on the Internet, smoke, drink, or get traffic tickets. When journalist Liu Hu recently tried to book a flight, CBS reported, he was told he was banned from flying because he was on the list of “untrustworthy people.” When ordered by a court to apologize for recent tweets, Liu did so – only to be told by the communist judge that his apology was “insincere.” [ 4]
“I can’t buy property,” Liu says. “ My child can’t go to a private school. You feel controlled by the list all the time.” The ‘Social Credit’ system reportedly takes into account, “what books citizens read, what they buy, and how long they spend playing video games.”