China plans to initiate "social credit" scoring system by 2020

Image via Hero Images/Getty

China Plans To Launch “Social Credit” System By 2020

Social media has gone WAY to far and now some countries are trying to take it even farther.

According to DailyMail, China is looking to institute a social points system that will rank members of society based on their good, or bad, interactions with others just like the “Nosedive” episode of Black Mirror. This isn’t some far-into-the-future type of program either, this program is on-track to begin tallying scores in 2020!

The highest score one can achieve is 800, doing things like community service or buying products made in China are said to bolster one’s rating. Conversely, smoking in non-smoking areas, buying video games, buying alcohol, and tax evasion will dramatically decrease your score.

Top rated citizens will have the red carpet rolled out for them at restaurants and airports, they’ll get low interest ratings, waived deposits on car rentals and fast-tracking to the country’s best universities. However, those with low ratings will be barred from having certain jobs, denied access to high-speed internet and their kids will be blocked from attending good schools.

This is where we’re at these days.

China will be using 600 million AI cameras to monitor the system and enforce ratings upticks and demerits in “social credit”.

The program is already in pilot status and the affects are real. Liu Hu told his story to CBSNews:

‘I can’t buy property. My child can’t go to a private school,’ he said.

‘You feel you’re being controlled by the list all the time.’

This sounds like a shady-as-hell plan from an already shady government says Ken Dewoskin, an expert in China’s economy.

‘The government and the people running the plan would like it to go as deeply as possible to determine how to allocate benefits and also how to impact and shape their behaviour.’

Nooooope. Nah. Nawl.