Beijing to Judge Every Resident Based on Behavior by End of 2020
Beijing to Judge Every Resident Based on Behavior by End
of 2020
·
China capital plans ‘social credit’ system by
end of 2020
·
Citizens with poor scores will be ‘unable to
move’ a step
November 21, 2018, 12:48 AM PST
China’s plan to judge each of its 1.3 billion people
based on their social behavior is moving a step closer to reality, with Beijing
set to adopt a lifelong points program by 2021 that assigns personalized
ratings for each resident.
The capital city will pool data from several departments
to reward and punish some 22 million citizens based on their actions and
reputations by the end of 2020, according to a plan posted on the Beijing
municipal government’s website on Monday. Those with better so-called social credit
will get “green channel” benefits while those who violate laws will find life
more difficult.
The Beijing project will improve blacklist systems so
that those deemed untrustworthy will be “unable to move even a single step,”
according to the government’s plan. Xinhua reported on the proposal Tuesday,
while the report posted on the municipal government’s website is dated July 18.
China has long experimented with systems that grade its
citizens, rewarding good behavior with streamlined services while punishing bad
actions with restrictions and penalties. Critics say such moves are fraught
with risks and could lead to systems that reduce humans to little more than a
report card.
Ambitious Plan
Beijing’s efforts represent the most ambitious yet among
more than a dozen cities that are moving ahead with similar programs.
Hangzhou rolled out its personal credit system earlier
this year, rewarding “pro-social behaviors” such as volunteer work and blood
donations while punishing those who violate traffic laws and charge
under-the-table fees. By the end of May, people with bad credit in China have
been blocked from booking more than 11 million flights and 4 million high-speed
train trips, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.
According to the Beijing government’s plan, different
agencies will link databases to get a more detailed picture of every resident’s
interactions across a swathe of services. The proposal calls for agencies
including tourism bodies, business regulators and transit authorities to work
together.
The tracking of individual behavior in China has become
easier as economic life moves online, with apps such as Tencent’s WeChat and
Ant Financial’s Alipay a central node for making payments, getting loans and
organizing transport. Accounts are generally linked to mobile phone numbers,
which in turn require government IDs.
The final version of China’s national social credit
system remains uncertain. But as rules forcing social networks and internet
providers to remove anonymity get increasingly enforced and facial recognition
systems become more popular with policing bodies, authorities are likely to
find everyone from internet dissenters to train-fare skippers easier to catch
-- and punish -- than ever before.
— With assistance by Claire Che, David Ramli, and Dandan
Li
Comments
Post a Comment