Title: Chinese Social Credit Score: Utopian Big Data Bliss Or Black Mirror On Steroids?
Headings: Chinese Social Credit Score: Utopian Big Data Bliss Or Black Mirror On Steroids?
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Chinese Social Credit Score: Utopian Big Data Bliss Or Black Mirror On Steroids?
How Is The Social Credit Score Determined?
How Is A Social Credit Score Used?
Actions That Adjust Social Scores
Reception Of The Social Credit System In China
Influence Beyond China’s Borders

Content: Such a trustworthiness score can fluctuate based on actions—going up for good deeds such as donating to charity and can go down for negative actions such as getting a speeding ticket. China began to create this system in 2010 as a pilot program but officially began implementing the construction of a nationwide social credit system in 2014. According to the government’s document, Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System (2014-2020), all of the social credit scores for its 1.4 billion citizens will be publicly available by 2020. At that time, there will be a searchable file of every Chinese citizen that represents all the data collected from public and private companies to track their social credit. How Is A Social Credit Score Used? The idea is to create more transparency about companies and individuals that are breaking the law or are non-compliant with official obligations and incentivize the right behaviors with the overall goal of improving governance and market order. The Chinese Communist Party intends the social credit score system to “allow the trustworthy to roam freely under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.” Even though the system is still under development it currently plays out in real life in myriad ways for private citizens, businesses and government officials. Generally, higher credit scores give people a variety of advantages. Individuals are often given perks such as discounted energy bills and access or better visibility on dating websites.