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it hard for the discredited to take a Futurism. “They take it a step further by positive citizen score i.e. become acceptable behavior” will be defined
single step,” according to The Wall becoming not only an establishment of a “trustworthy.” Chinese blogger Rasul by the Chinese government, not a
Street Journal. In some situations, this totalitarian police state that monitors its Majid told WIRED that he actually thinks democratic process or an objective
could prove workable. After all, finance people but one that completely evades it’s a better way of keeping tabs on how panel. And punitive measures will
and loan organizations already detail users’ privacy. All forms of activity and the government monitors his data. If one certainly be taken when a person breaks
debtors’ credit eligibility if they happen interactions, online or otherwise, will be knows how one is surveilled, one knows this trust.
to be in default, preventing them from rated, available to view and stored as when and where to clean up one’s act.
taking on more debt that they may be data.” Lal, however, disagrees: “How do you With the SCS, the Chinese government
unable to pay back. define people’s behaviors on a day-to- will actually hit two birds with one stone:
It seems that the infamous Great day basis? People do so many different They will have a way of promoting and
The utopic goal of managing citizen Firewall is only the most well-known things for so many different reasons, enforcing what they consider to be
finances via structural checks and feature of China’s worsening socio- and if the context is not appreciated “socially acceptable behavior,” and they
balances feels like an elegant solution political plight. it can be misconstrued,” he said. The will have a way of monitoring virtually all
to assuage public debt, and will words ring true. One does not need to aspects of citizens’ lives.
certainly encourage all involved to BIG DATA FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR think hard to uncover why it may be Lal doesn’t believe this setup could fly
improve their debt activity. But structural problematic to say that people who long term, though. “In the free world,
management of personal finances on More than working as a social enabler, have children are, in essence, people this will never catch on. If they’re naive
this all-pervasive level crosses several such a system could end up becoming you should trust. What does this mean enough to roll it out, it will harm China’s
boundaries. highly restrictive. Speaking to WIRED, for the infertile? What does it mean for credibility on a regional and global scale.
Sesame Credit’s Technology Director, Li same-sex couples? What does it mean Tech companies working in China are
The major issue is this: the SCS goes Yingyun, admitted as much, saying that for people who simply do not wish to already frustrated due to the intense
well beyond just rating ones ability under an SCS system, a person could have children? Probably nothing good. restrictions when it comes to tech
to manage debt; in essence, it puts a be judged by his purchases. “Someone policies and encryption this will only add
number on a citizen rating their worth who plays video games for ten hours a In the end, even a basic SCS system to their frustration.”
as a human being and it forces others to day, for example, would be considered that only rates a few data points could
respect that rating. an idle person,” Li said. “Someone paint a very inaccurate and incomplete This system represents something
who frequently buys diapers would be picture of a person. “You may be more insidious than the panopticon
“China’s proposed social score is considered as probably a parent, who on playing games for 10 hours and if the that renowned social theorist Michel
an absolute reaffirmation of China balance is more likely to have a sense of algorithm says you’re idle, it might Foucault warned us about. So let’s hope
continuing to push forward to be a responsibility.” miss the reason you’re playing these that Lal is correct.
complete police state,” said Anurag games. Maybe you’re an engineer and Editor’s Note: This article has been
Lal, former Director of the U.S. National Li sees these as positive developments, you’re beta testing them. But now you’re updated to make it clear that Lal is the
Broadband Task Force for the FCC by virtue of which a person is automatically designated as an idle “former” director under the Obama
under the Obama administration and encouraged to take greater person,” Lal added. “When in reality, administration.
president and CEO of mobility solutions responsibility for their living and maybe you were just doing your job.”
firm Infinite Convergence, in an email to spending habits in order to earn a Ultimately, the problem is that “socially Source: Futurism