The citizen score, usually called social credit score, determines the extent to which Chinese citizens regard Chinese citizens as ‘trustworthy’ or ‘untrustworthy’. The principle behind China’s social credit system is “once untrustworthy, always restricted” and was coined by the President of China, Xi Jinping, who was appointed in May 2013. If citizens exhibit behavior that Chinese authorities consider undesirable, they can lose points according to a points system, be placed on the blacklist and lose rights. The incentive-based policy should turn the Chinese into model citizens. Due to the large extent to which the Chinese government and authorities use surveillance and big data to monitor citizens, people also speak of ‘Big Brother 2.0’.
The social credit score of citizens in China
- The Chinese social credit system
- The social credit score of citizens in China
- High social credit score: high reliability & creditworthiness
- Examples of behavior that lead to a higher social credit score
- Whitelist: consequences of a high social credit score
- Low social credit score: low reliability & creditworthiness
- Examples of behavior that causes a lower social credit score
- Blacklist: consequences of a low social credit score
- Background of China’s social credit system
- Purpose of China’s social credit system
- Public naming & shaming
- Progress of social credit system in China
- Chinese cities differ in the way the points system works
- Big Brother 2.0: big data & surveillance
- Privileges & sanctions
- Automated decision-making based on profiling
The Chinese social credit system
China is the first country to apply the social credit system policy program to its citizens. The Chinese social credit system means that, based on a points system, Chinese citizens receive a certain citizen score or social credit score depending on the display of personal characteristics and behavior that the government sees as desirable or undesirable. The principle behind the Chinese social credit system: Once untrustworthy, always restricted , was coined by the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, who was appointed in May 2013. By basing the social credit system on incentives (punishments and rewards), citizens are encouraged to exhibit desired behavior and avoid undesirable behavior. One of the first sanctions introduced by the Chinese authorities is a ban on train travel and flights for a period of one year, which takes effect when a citizen is blacklisted due to a low social credit score.
The social credit score of citizens in China
A citizen’s social credit score, also called citizen score, is determined on the basis of behavior and certain personal characteristics . The Chinese government and authorities use a points system to assess the behavior of Chinese citizens on social, financial, economic, online and societal levels. Examples of characteristics that determine the level of the social credit score are a person’s social contacts and whether or not they have a criminal record. If citizens exhibit desired behavior according to the Chinese authorities, they receive points that increase their social credit score. Exhibiting undesirable behavior results in a loss of points on the social credit score. The citizen score or social credit score indicates the degree of reliability and creditworthiness of a Chinese citizen .
High social credit score: high reliability & creditworthiness
Exhibiting desirable behavior and possessing certain personal characteristics can increase the citizen score or social credit score of Chinese citizens. The reliability and creditworthiness of citizens increase if they exhibit
desirable personal characteristics and behavior according to the Chinese government and authorities
Examples of behavior that lead to a higher social credit score
Doing volunteer work, being a blood donor, visiting their parents, caring for their grandparents, donating to charities, being loyal to the communist party and being on time for appointments.
Whitelist: consequences of a high social credit score
While a low social credit score leads to the loss of rights and freedoms, a high social credit score leads to citizens gaining privileges , such as:
- Getting priority in hospitals.
- Get priority when taking a taxi.
- Access to private schools for the children of whitelisted citizens.
- More favorable rental conditions will apply.
- Receive a discount on bills payable to the government.
- Gain access to exclusive restaurants.
- Business class travel becomes possible.
- More options to take out a subsidy or loan.
- No need to pay a deposit when renting a bicycle or car.
- Get a discount on district heating.
Low social credit score: low reliability & creditworthiness
The citizen score or social credit score of Chinese citizens can be lowered by exhibiting certain personal characteristics and behavior that are not permitted by the Chinese government and authorities. This means that the reliability and creditworthiness of Chinese citizens in the eyes of the Chinese government and authorities decreases if they exhibit undesirable personal characteristics and behavior . A Chinese citizen can be placed on a restricted list due to a low social credit score. If you are blacklisted, you will face sanctions and may lose many important rights and freedoms.
Examples of behavior that causes a lower social credit score
Spreading false information about terrorism, not paying bills (on time), canceling reservations shortly in advance, spreading rumors, refusing military service, using drugs, posting texts on the internet that the authorities consider undesirable, dealing with civilians with a low citizen score, not keeping a dog on a leash when walking, not paying off debts, playing video games for too long, wasting money on unnecessary purchases, committing traffic violations, smoking on the train, not cleaning up dog poop, without a train ticket or with a traveling with an expired train ticket, cheating during an exam, exhibiting disruptive behavior during a flight, crossing at a red traffic light, and playing music loudly.
Blacklist: consequences of a low social credit score
Visa is rejected / Source: Mohamed Hassan, Pixabay
Chinese citizens who are blacklisted due to a low social credit score may face sanctions and loss of rights and freedoms, such as:
- Money loans can no longer be taken out.
- Travel abroad is prohibited.
- A ban that applies to train travel, public transport and/or flights.
- Access to social services is prohibited.
- Access to higher education is denied.
- A visa is no longer issued.
- The chance of getting a (good) job decreases.
- Name and photo are placed on billboards.
- Names of citizens are shown on monitors at the train station.
- It is no longer allowed to apply for government positions.
- The internet speed is slowed down or blocked.
- Access to certain hotels is prohibited.
- No possibility to apply for a credit card.
- The children of blacklisted citizens have fewer educational opportunities.
Background of China’s social credit system
The social credit system plan comes from the Chinese government and was created in 2014. The idea behind the plan is that a points system determines the reliability and creditworthiness of Chinese citizens. Increasing complaints about poor food safety and a large number of fraud and corruption cases in China prompted the development of the social credit system plan. Moreover, changing China’s economy into a more market-oriented variant has led to a decrease in social control over and among citizens. The Chinese government and authorities want to regain social control and hope to improve food safety and reduce fraud and corruption in the country. The Chinese social credit system shows many characteristics of the regime under Mao, where a personal file was recorded for every Chinese citizen.
Purpose of China’s social credit system
The Chinese government and authorities hope to regain social control through social credit policy by developing good qualities in Chinese citizens. Examples of these good qualities are: honesty, (financial) creditworthiness, sincerity, reliability and civility. The policy should make the Chinese model citizens, so that they behave as the government wishes. In addition to developing civilized citizens , the social credit system should lead to economic reliability .
Public naming & shaming
The social credit scores of Chinese citizens are made public, allowing every citizen to see the reliability and creditworthiness scores of other citizens. The Chinese authorities practice public naming & shaming by showing the names and photos of citizens with a low social credit score who are on the blacklist, which should provide an additional reason for citizens to exhibit desired behavior.
Progress of social credit system in China
Although it is known worldwide that 2020 is the year of the large-scale introduction of the social credit system, little is known about the progress of the large-scale implementation. Nevertheless, a local elaboration of China’s credit system is in force in many Chinese cities, and there are also elaborations of the social credit system at a regional level. Moreover, Chinese citizens may not know in every city that they have a social credit score. In any case, it can become clear to a Chinese citizen that he or she has a low social credit score based on the sanctions imposed on the citizen.
Chinese cities differ in the way the points system works
The Chinese social credit system applies in many cities, including Shanghai, Rongcheng, Beijing, Qingzhen, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The content of the points system and the characteristics used to determine the citizen scores or social credit scores may differ per city. For example, in one city you can lose points on your citizen score if you act as guarantor for a defaulter, but this may not be the case in another city. And in one city, for example, how you interact with your parents is important for your citizen score, while in another city it is not. The elaboration of the Chinese social credit system can therefore differ per city, where citizen scores can be assessed on the basis of more than a thousand characteristics. It is not clear in 2021 how the points system will or will not change in the various Chinese cities.
Big Brother 2.0: big data & surveillance
The ‘online behavior’ is assessed / Source: Tumisu, Pixabay
Ministries, state-owned enterprises and banks collaborate extensively to collect data on Chinese citizens. They also work together to impose the rewards and punishments linked to a citizen score. Through technological advances and the widespread use of big data and surveillance , the ,new, social credit system can collect more precise and comprehensive information about the behavior and personal characteristics of Chinese citizens. Surveillance is the means a government uses for monitoring and surveillance. For example, the Chinese government and authorities make extensive use of facial recognition cameras that record information about Chinese citizens. The Chinese ‘Big Brother 2.0’ refers to the extent to which the Chinese government and authorities use surveillance and big data to monitor citizens. The Chinese ‘Big Brother 2.0’ is everywhere in Chinese society.
Privileges & sanctions
The level of the social credit score affects the rights and freedoms of Chinese citizens. The Chinese government and authorities impose sanctions on citizens with a low citizen score and grant privileges to citizens with a high citizen score. The privileges and sanctions come in many shapes and sizes and can affect the children of citizens who are associated with high or low reliability and creditworthiness.
Automated decision-making based on profiling
The social credit system in China is a form of policy that involves automated decision-making based on profiling. The Chinese government and authorities make extensive use of big data and surveillance to monitor the (online) behavior of Chinese citizens. This information is used to evaluate personal characteristics of Chinese citizens and to determine citizen scores. This is a form of profiling . The imposition of sanctions and the provision of rewards are linked to the level of the social credit score of Chinese citizens, making this a form of policy that involves ‘automated decision-making based on profiling’.
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