China To Use Social Credit Ratings For Keeping Score On Its Citizens

If you think that trying to keep your credit score respectable is tough, China is taking this concept to an extreme new level, and everyone will be scrutinized under the radar!

Wherever you go, whatever you do, you are being judged. It is something straight out of science fiction but it is closer to reality than you would ever expect.

Namely, by 2020 China will implement a system to rank its 1.3 billion citizens. Known as the Social Credit Score, it will rate citizens based on a set of criteria such as social connections, political ties, wealth, compliance, meaning you will be judged on both your associates and your spending habits.

Some of China’s biggest tech companies have already begun government-sanctioned trials. Web chat apps will allow users to see their score. The idea of the Social Credit Score has received mixed ratings. The Chinese government claims it will reward honesty and trust. “Trustworthy” citizens will find it easier to travel and they will be offered more deals and discounts.

To the contrary, a low score may impact job opportunities and upward mobility. The critics to the Social Credit Score see a dark outcome. They think the Chinese government will monitor all forms of human activity. Gathering so much data on its citizens might mean the end of personal privacy.

Some U.S. officials warn that this move brings China closer to becoming a police state. In two years, we will see how the Social Credit Score actually takes shape. Either way it is a brave, new world!