China’s Social Points System Explained

The Chinese government is in the midst of developing a “social credit system” that would standardize the assessment of citizens’ and businesses’ social reputations. Although China is known for its stringent policies, this one is drawing ire from citizens and the international community alike.

According to the Chinese government, this social credit system is an attempt to cultivate a “culture of sincerity” by enhancing trust and increasing social stability throughout society. Despite having been launched in 2014, this system will be fully implemented by 2020.

This social credit system utilizes big data analysis technology as a form of surveillance. The New York Post states that, “Under the social credit scheme, points are lost and gained based on readings from a sophisticated network of 200 million surveillance cameras…The program has been enabled by rapid advances in facial recognition, body scanning and geo-tracking.” In other words, cameras will be tracking every move made by 1.8 billion Chinese citizens in just two years. 

In addition to cameras tracking all citizens, the data acquired from these cameras will be combined with each individual’s financial, government and medical records, as well as their browsing histories. Beginning in 2020, everyone’s private lives will become public.

Breaking rules decreases a citizen’s credit or points, and there are consequences for having low credit scores. For example, people with negative credit scores are prohibited from getting certain jobs, their children will be barred from elite schools, and their internet speeds may be slowed by the Chinese government.  They will also have difficulty obtaining transportation tickets or finding hotels.

Citizens who follow rules, on the other hand, will see an increase in the number of points they have. Having a higher score has numerous benefits, from helping them achieve more matches on dating sites, to giving their children an admissions advantage for elite schools, to getting discounts on their monthly energy bill.

The Chinese government records all credits and points on a public website, so anyone can access this information and learn if someone is a good or bad citizen.  

According to Australian Broadcasting Company, “If your best friend or your dad says something negative about the government, you’ll lose points too.” Although the main purpose of the social credit system is to encourage trust and discourage breaking trust, it seems as though the Chinese government may have an ulterior motive: ensuring citizens stay true to them.

However, there are some who support the Social Points system. Vivian Dong, a student from Churchill High School stated, “My father actually visited China last year and told me that, in contrast with five years ago, behavior has actually seemed to improve. People are more polite, kind, and seem to think twice about what they say and do.” Thus, one can conclude that when it comes to motivating the Chinese people to be better citizens, the social credit system seems to have been a success.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Faith Cheung of Richard Montgomery High School