China is launching citizen scores

[Rufus]

https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-future/chinas-nightmarish-citizen-scores-are-warning-americans

Everybody is measured by a score between 350 and 950, which is linked to their national identity card. While currently supposedly voluntary, the government has announced that it will be mandatory by 2020.

The system is run by two companies, Alibaba and Tencent, which run all the social networks in China and therefore have access to a vast amount of data about people’s social ties and activities and what they say.

In addition to measuring your ability to pay, as in the United States, the scores serve as a measure of political compliance. Among the things that will hurt a citizen’s score are posting political opinions without prior permission, or posting information that the regime does not like, such as about the Tienanmen Square massacre that the government carried out to hold on to power, or the Shanghai stock market collapse.

It will hurt your score not only if you do these things, but if any of your friends do them. Imagine the social pressure against disobedience or dissent that this will create.

Anybody can check anyone else’s score online. Among other things, this lets people find out which of their friends may be hurting their scores.

Also used to calculate scores is information about hobbies, lifestyle, and shopping. Buying certain goods will improve your score, while others (such as video games) will lower it.

Those with higher scores are rewarded with concrete benefits. Those who reach 700, for example, get easy access to a Singapore travel permit, while those who hit 750 get an even more valued visa.

Sadly, many Chinese appear to be embracing the score as a measure of social worth, with almost 100,000 people bragging about their scores on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

 

[Dennis]

Sadly, many Chinese appear to be embracing the score as a measure of social worth, with almost 100,000 people bragging about their scores on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter

This part does not surprise me at all.

[Madrun Badrun]

Moving to China where compliance will get me layed. 

[thisismyusername]

So, do you get a low score if you don't socialize on social media (don't have an account), avoid public places and praise the party every chance you can get in public otherwise?

[Great Rumbler]

Does bragging about your score publicly lower it or raise it?

[brob]

the gamified dystopia is my favorite dystopia.

[Madrun Badrun]

I think you mean utopia. 

Establishing credit for when I need to escape to Singapore.

[Kara]

PRC does what American't.

[tiesto]

Also used to calculate scores is information about hobbies, lifestyle, and shopping. Buying certain goods will improve your score, while others (such as video games) will lower it.

At the rate I've been buying shit lately I'd likely have the lowest score there

[Yeti]

MeowMeowBeenz

[brawndolicious]

I think most Chinese are self-aware of the fact that only politicians (or con-men/brown-nosers) would benefit from this. Which is why the part that surprises me is that people are bragging about it on social media.

[Rufus]

I wish Chinasmack wasn't dead so we could look at some translated comments from netizens themselves.

I want to know how people will game this system. One obvious way to offset your vidya purchases for instance is, presumably, to just go ahead and buy some approved goods.

The in depth wish list this is supposed to fulfil:
https://chinacopyrightandmedia.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/planning-outline-for-the-construction-of-a-social-credit-system-2014-2020/

(3) Comprehensively move forward the construction of social sincerity.

Social sincerity is the basis for building the social credit system, only if there is mutual sincere treatment between members of society, and only if sincerity is fundamental, will it be possible to create harmonious and amicable interpersonal relationships, will it be possible to stimulate the progress of society and civilization, and realize social harmony, stability and a long period of peace and order.

This thing reads like they're trying to optimize our species for obedience and efficiency. Might just be the typical tone though, never read anything like this before.

[recursivelyenumerable]

yeah, i'm probably just dense but i can't really figure out from any of this what it is they're actually doing.

[Rufus]

Enhancing their credit rating system with citizen ratings, where actions the government deems good nets you points that get you preferential treatment and conversely, doing things the government deems bad makes you lose points. Crucially, being friends with people on social media who have shit scores drag yours down, too. Basically, they're trying to mold the Chinese people via a points system.

For now its voluntary, but they've already detailed that this will be mandatory by 2020. No idea how people who don't engage in social media or only buy stuff with cash are going to be rated.

[Mupepe]

Probably the same way people who don't have enough credit accounts are rated in the US. Negatively.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

Hell, even buying the right movie tickets might boost your score. I can't think of any other reason to go see state crappy sponsored 'Yay China' movies then to buy me points for some favors down the line.

[bluemax]

So its like Peeple but with achievements? Dang China is hip to the social media game.

[Joe Molotov]

www.trueachievements.com/china

[pilonv1]

China getting in before Peeple

[chronovore]

It'll be weird for them when they're dealing with PONAs from the West. "How to know if they're a good person or not?!" (j/k we're all gwailo)

[Steve Contra]

What if they used these scores to make things more expensive for poor people?  Wouldn't that be a nightmare

[Kara]

What if they used these scores to make things more expensive for poor people.  Wouldn't that be a nightmare

I see what you did there.

[recursivelyenumerable]

Enhancing their credit rating system with citizen ratings, where actions the government deems good nets you points that get you preferential treatment and conversely, doing things the government deems bad makes you lose points. Crucially, being friends with people on social media who have shit scores drag yours down, too. Basically, they're trying to mold the Chinese people via a points system.

For now its voluntary, but they've already detailed that this will be mandatory by 2020. No idea how people who don't engage in social media or only buy stuff with cash are going to be rated.

yeah I get the concept, but I couldn't really parse out which parts of the articles are known plans vs. extrapolation/inference/speculation, or make much sense of the translated official document.