China have revealed plans to create a Social Credit System to rank members of the public.
By 2020, the Chinese government will be scoring its 1.3 billion citizens in order to judge their trustworthiness.
They will be awarded ‘points’ based on everyday actions. These include what they shop for, what taxes they pay and whether they pay their bills on time.
A citizen’s overall score will then be used to decide their eligibility for a job or mortgage, for example. It would even impact where their children attend school.
This may sound like something out of a twisted sci-fi film, but China already offer this system as a voluntary option. As shocking as this sounds, surveillance is something we should all be used to in the 21st Century.
screenshot from Netflix
We are tracked every day through our Google searches, Facebook posts and other forms of technology.
Of course, this type of surveillance doesn’t mean much to everyday people like you and me. However if you’re in the public eye then maybe you might take more care over your internet searches.
But usually even celebrities aren’t held to account over what they Google.
So, the question is, if these every-day actions, such as using the internet, did have consequences, would we be more careful?
What do you think of this severe form of surveillance? Should it become a worldwide scheme?
Could this idea turn into a scam like this?
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