Fanatics of the Black Mirror series on Netflix have already been acquainted with the idea in 2016 in an episode called ‘Nosedive’. In this episode, the main character Lacie lives in a dystopian world where one’s social standing is being ranked by the data collection of one’s behavior towards others. (Vincent, 2017) Better interactions lead to a higher rating, while bad ones lead to a lower rating. A lower rating results in less opportunities and vice versa, which for Lacie means no longer being able to fly or rent a luxury apartment. (Connick, 2018)
This may sound as a radical (and maybe even terrifying) idea, however this is becoming more of a reality than fiction. China is currently trialing their Social Credit System (SCS), which is planned to be launched and thus mandatory for every citizen in 2020. Two Chinese data giants, which are affiliates of WeChat and Alibaba, are running projects to develop algorithms for these social credit scores. Data is collected from China’s 1.3 billion residents and turned into an individual score between 350 and 900. Citizens are scored based on five factors (Botsman, 2017):
1. Credit history (e.g. are bills being paid on time?)
2. Fulfilment capacity (someone’s ability to fulfil his/her contract obligations)
3. Personal characteristics (an individual’s address and phone number)
4. Behavior and preference (e.g. one’s shopping habits such as buying many video games)
5. Interpersonal relationships (one’s online social contacts and positive vibe in messages and posts)
Especially the fourth and fifth factor are controversial, as this may result in a forced change of behavior of individuals. One’s shopping habits will purposely change, and friends with lower scores will be ignored more often. As this may seem like Big Brother getting out of control, the Chinese government’s arguments for this system are that “the SCS is a way to measure and enhance ‘trust’ nationwide and to build a culture of ‘sincerity’”. (Botsman, 2017)
As of now, it is still only China who is trialing this idea, but in an increasingly globalized society one should never rule out the idea of a worldwide system like this. We are already ranking companies such as restaurants and hotels based on their performance and contact with their customers. Moreover, due to social media, one’s popularity and personal image is also being heavily decided upon their Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram page. In a certain way, a natural social ranking system is already an ongoing phenomenon. Therefore, the idea of a government controlled social credit system for individuals might not be that strange after all?
Reference list
Vincent, Alice. (2017). “Black Mirror is coming true in China, where your ‘rating’ affects your home, transport and social circle”. The Telegraph.
Connick, Tom. (2018). “Black Mirror’s ‘Nosedive’ episode is about to become reality in China”. NME.
Botsman, Rachel. (2017). “Big data meets Big Brother as China moves to rate its citizens”. Wired.
I think it is important to note the argument used to promote the system. According to the officials, the rural population is struggling to get loans due to lack of credit history. They claim SCS would allow the lenders to assess the credibility of the applicant and boost investments in rural China.
Hi Marc Bouwman,
Thank you for your post and I would like to add on the topic. I fully agree that it is indeed not strange for a social credit system (SCS) to emerge. The idea of rating people, organizations and entities is embedded in our digital behaviour but is not only present in China’s SCS. For instance, Facebook introduced a hidden reputation score for its users. The tool rated members on their trustworthiness and used that information to handle reports of false news on its platform. Although the consequences were limited to Facebook’s internal operations, the idea of rating users for specific goals and objectives is not new.
When tying ratings to direct consequences, the system may restrain freedom or improve quality of life. Your post mainly addresses potential negative indirect consequences of a personal rating, but it is salient to address the positive and negative direct consequences as well. These consequences are more likely to be the main driver of behavioural change, as the impact is direct and more significant.
Positive direct consequences include for instance not being required to leave deposit money when booking a hotel or more favourable terms when acquiring a loan. Known negative direct consequences are much more serious. A bad score could prevent you from receiving a bank loan or even deny you the use of public transportation (including trains and planes).
From the current situation, it seems that the system is more punishing than rewarding. However, since information is little and trials are still ongoing, it is too early to form a final opinion on the matter.
Sources
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-34592186
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45257894
https://www.wired.com/story/age-of-social-credit/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/12/chinas-chilling-social-credit-blacklist
Hi Marc, I was wondering if you know what the Chinese people think about this themselves?
Being born and raised in Europe I would agree that this would feel like being restricted from having the right to be a free individual in a country. However, as a “Eurasian” myself (European Asian with Chinese background) I do not expect all Chinese people to be discontent with their governments SCS. I believe that this has to do with culture. Of course I cannot speak for everybody, but generally Chinese culture involves more solidarity with the in-group (within families and such), as well as with the out-group (when for example a group of Chinese people are travelling together in a different continent). With this I mean that the Chinese people may not feel restricted or limited in their life, even though for European standards it would be.
In a way I understand that the Chinese government is somehow trying to track and monitor their people because of Chinas overpopulation. However, that does not mean that I support their approach of course. My two concerns, apart from the ethical point of view of course), are that culture, and therefore traditions may drastically change, and that the Chinese government will find their people searching for better lives elsewhere.
Thanks for your post Marc, I was unaware of the extents of China’s Social Credit System. China seems to be pushing the ethical boundaries of big data. Originally, big data analytics were used to increase organizational efficiency through tracking performance and measuring outcomes. However, emerging tools and techniques allowed for different applications of which China’s Social Credit System is a perfect example. I think it is important to discuss the possible ethical issues underlying big data usage. Especially the use of personal data should be debated extensively. I would love to hear your thoughts regarding big data ethics and whether China’s Social Credit System is warranted!