Big data meets Big Brother - Game Life

Paul Bellow · Jan 30, 2018

On June 14, 2014, the State Council of China published an ominous-sounding document called "Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System". In the way of Chinese policy documents, it was a lengthy and rather dry affair, but it contained a radical idea. What if there was a national trust score that rated the kind of citizen you were?

Imagine a world where many of your daily activities were constantly monitored and evaluated: what you buy at the shops and online; where you are at any given time; who your friends are and how you interact with them; how many hours you spend watching content or playing video games; and what bills and taxes you pay (or not). It's not hard to picture, because most of that already happens, thanks to all those data-collecting behemoths like Google, Facebook and Instagram or health-tracking apps such as Fitbit. But now imagine a system where all these behaviours are rated as either positive or negative and distilled into a single number, according to rules set by the government. That would create your Citizen Score and it would tell everyone whether or not you were trustworthy. Plus, your rating would be publicly ranked against that of the entire population and used to determine your eligibility for a mortgage or a job, where your children can go to school - or even just your chances of getting a date.

A futuristic vision of Big Brother out of control? No, it's already getting underway in China, where the government is developing the Social Credit System (SCS) to rate the trustworthiness of its 1.3 billion citizens. The Chinese government is pitching the system as a desirable way to measure and enhance "trust" nationwide and to build a culture of "sincerity". As the policy states, "It will forge a public opinion environment where keeping trust is glorious. It will strengthen sincerity in government affairs, commercial sincerity, social sincerity and the construction of judicial credibility."
Click to expand...

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/chinese-government-social-credit-score-privacy-invasion

They had a Black Mirror episode about this kinda thing... but it was other people scoring you.

Paul Bellow · Jan 30, 2018

Crazy...

Friends matter, too. The fifth category is interpersonal relationships. What does their choice of online friends and their interactions say about the person being assessed? Sharing what Sesame Credit refers to as "positive energy" online, nice messages about the government or how well the country's economy is doing, will make your score go up.
Click to expand...

Paul Bellow · Jan 30, 2018

So why have millions of people already signed up to what amounts to a trial run for a publicly endorsed government surveillance system? There may be darker, unstated reasons - fear of reprisals, for instance, for those who don't put their hand up - but there is also a lure, in the form of rewards and "special privileges" for those citizens who prove themselves to be "trustworthy" on Sesame Credit.

If their score reaches 600, they can take out a Just Spend loan of up to 5,000 yuan (around £565) to use to shop online, as long as it's on an Alibaba site. Reach 650 points, they may rent a car without leaving a deposit. They are also entitled to faster check-in at hotels and use of the VIP check-in at Beijing Capital International Airport. Those with more than 666 points can get a cash loan of up to 50,000 yuan (£5,700), obviously from Ant Financial Services. Get above 700 and they can apply for Singapore travel without supporting documents such as an employee letter. And at 750, they get fast-tracked application to a coveted pan-European Schengen visa. "I think the best way to understand the system is as a sort of bastard love child of a loyalty scheme," says Creemers.
Click to expand...

This is kinda gamification of life in a way? With the supreme leader as the GM/DM?

There's a story idea. Heh.

Paul Bellow · Jan 30, 2018

Indeed, the government's Social Credit System is basically a big data gamified version of the Communist Party's surveillance methods; the disquieting dang'an. The regime kept a dossier on every individual that tracked political and personal transgressions. A citizen's dang'an followed them for life, from schools to jobs. People started reporting on friends and even family members, raising suspicion and lowering social trust in China. The same thing will happen with digital dossiers. People will have an incentive to say to their friends and family, "Don't post that. I don't want you to hurt your score but I also don't want you to hurt mine."
Click to expand...

I shoulda kept reading. Haha.

The new system reflects a cunning paradigm shift. Aswe've noted, instead of trying to enforce stability or conformity with a big stick and a good dose of top-down fear, the government is attempting to make obedience feel like gaming. It is a method of social control dressed up in some points-reward system. It's gamified obedience.
Click to expand...

VRRanger · Jan 30, 2018

Thank you Paul, this isn't terrifying at all. And it just so effortlessly works. McCarthy would be drooling over this.

MrPotatoMan · Jan 30, 2018

This is super scary especialy with digitization of services someone who had a low friend score could just die in silence and none would be the wiser

FrustratedEgo · Jan 30, 2018

I've been watching this off and on or the last year - and each article amuses me more than the last.

I get that it's meant to reward morality - but there's no wayyyyy it won't be abused.

CheshirePhoenix · Jan 30, 2018

I read about this awhile back after seeing it in an Extra Credits video (I think it was them anyway). Scary shit, sure, but far from the worst thing China has done to political dissidents. Even recently speaking.

Seagrim · Jan 31, 2018

I think Beijing is just running in terror since, historically, China should be due for another revolution is a few decades.

Log in or Sign up

Big data meets Big Brother - Game Life

Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

Paul Bellow Forum Game Master Staff Member LitRPG Author Shop Owner Citizen Aspiring Writer

VRRanger Level 12 (Rogue) Roleplaying Beta Reader Citizen Aspiring Writer

MrPotatoMan Level 13 (Assassin) Citizen

FrustratedEgo Level 11 (Thief) LitRPG Author Roleplaying Citizen Aspiring Writer

CheshirePhoenix Crazy Hermit on the Hill LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Editor Aspiring Writer

Seagrim Level 18 (Magician) LitRPG Author Citizen

Share This Page