![]() Much of the data seems to come from companies like telecom providers and hotels. But the reporters at the Southern Metropolis Daily had no trouble getting solid, confirmed information. There are countless ads for services like these online, and some seem more reliable than others. (Saša Petricic/CBC)Īnother service provided live tracking of a colleague using his mobile phone, sending pinpoint locations in real time. In a system where every citizen's information is collected and traded at every level, involving government officials and private corporations, it's hard to tell who isn't allowed to know. "What the government has managed to do, I think quite successfully, is download the controls to the private sector, to make it incumbent upon them to police their own networks," he says. Among other things, the restrictions follow Chinese students who study abroad.Ĭhinese authorities "have a wealth of data at their disposal about what individuals are doing at a micro level in ways that they never had before," Deibert says. It's used by more than 800 million people here every month - virtually every Chinese person who is online.ĭeibert's team found it contains various hidden means of censorship and surveillance. The lab has taken apart popular apps like WeChat, a messaging app that also does financial transactions designed specifically for the Chinese market by private software giant Tencent. "t’s an alternative legal system where the accused have fewer rights," the outlet wrote, later adding that if "current trends hold, it’s possible that in the future a majority of misdemeanors and even some felonies will be punished not by Washington, D.C., but by Silicon Valley.Ronald Deibert, of The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, says Chinese authorities 'have a wealth of data at their disposal about what individuals are doing at a micro level in ways that they never had before.' (Saša Petricic/CBC) Uber can also ban users, stifling their ability to travel, while a ban by WhatsApp or a similar service can negatively impact someone's ability to communicate with the rest of the world.Īccording to Fast Company, the "most disturbing" aspect of the U.S.'s social credit system is that these punishments are all levied outside the official justice system. And Airbnb can ban anyone it wants to - it doesn't even need to give them a reason. Airbnb now has more than 6 million listings, so a ban from that app can dramatically impact a person's ability to find accommodations. Meanwhile, a company called PatronScan maintains a list of "objectionable customers" that bars and restaurants can use to exclude certain visitors.Īnd that's nothing compared to larger platforms. Life insurance companies can now base a person's premiums on the content of their social media feeds, for example. The magazine provides several examples to bolster the claim. are already beholden to a similar system - it's just established and enforced by private companies instead of the government. But a newly published Fast Company story argues that people in the U.S. Many Americans might find the power of China's social credit system astonishing. Conversely, if they do something "bad," such as criticize the government or walk their dog without a leash, their score might drop. ![]() Under the social credit system, if a Chinese citizen does something authorities deem "good" - paying bills on time, for example, or donating blood regularly - their score might increase. That number is their social credit score, and they earn it through a system China began implementing in 2014. In China, a three-digit number between 350 and 950 can determine whether a person's loan application is approved, whether they can travel outside the nation's borders, and even whether they're able to land a date for Friday night.
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