scholarly journals From Datafication to Data State: Making Sense of China’s Social Credit System and Its Implications

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Anne S. Y. Cheung ◽  
Yongxi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
The State ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Multiple Functions ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
Democratic Societies ◽  
And Control

We live in an age of datafication wherein nearly all aspects of our lives can be transformed into data and evaluated. The authors seek to make sense of the heightened datafication-enabled social control under China’s Social Credit System (SCS) by developing the concept of the data state. A “data state” is defined as a governance model enabling the state to comprehensively monitor, evaluate, and control its subjects through datafication, leaving them little room to defend their autonomy. We identify the multiple functions of the SCS in its development up to 2020 and analyze its inherent defects, including the decontextualized evaluation of individuals and the semi-automated imposition of disproportionate punishment. We argue that, if the SCS were to fully integrate its functions and connect to other data-driven governance initiatives, it would eventually allow the data self, carefully groomed by the state, to dominate the bio-self and turn China into a data state. Whereas China’s SCS may be unique and not easily replicated elsewhere, understanding its intricacies helps to enable the citizens of democratic societies to guard against the relentless growth of datafication that may result in an invincible and irreversible ecosystem for the emergence of a data state.

scholarly journals “Social Credit System”: historical prerequisites and doctrinal grounds of the phenomenon

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-88
Author(s):  
Roman Z. Rouvinsky ◽  
Alexey A. Tarasov
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Credit Scoring ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Russian Science ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Perspective

This article is dedicated to identification and examination of doctrinal grounds and historical prerequisites of the" Social Credit System (trustworthiness)” – a project introduced in the People’s Republic of China in the early 2000s, and currently being “exported” from People’s Republic of China to other countries. In the course of this research, the author analyzed the specific Chinese sources and prerequisites for the creation of modern social rating and control system, as well as non-national sources mostly attributed to the history of Western European political legal thought and Western social institutions. Viewing "Social Credit System" as a technique for exercising social control and oversight, the authors discover its origins in J. Bentham’s project" Panopticon ", Taylor’s philosophy of management, Confucian and legalistic traditions of Imperial China, ideas and institutions of the era of Chinese cultural revolution, as well as U.S. credit scoring systems. This article is the first within Russian science to study the historical and doctrinal prerequisites of China’s "Social Credit System”, taking into account the works of foreign scholars dedicated to the history of its establishment.  A new perspective is given on the Confucian ideas the ideas of Fajia (Legalism) School, which are interpreted as complementary sources of the modern system of social control developed in PRC. The authors believe that China’s “Social Credit System” and the related techniques of control represent a so-called “bridge” that connects “Western” history of the development of social institutions with typically “Eastern” political and sociocultural tradition. In conclusion, attention is turned to the positive aspects, as well as “shadow” side of implementation of the mechanism of “Social Credit System”, “reverse” of this process and all accompanying problems thereof.

scholarly journals Transforming Society for the Better?

MaRBLe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Aldendorff
Keyword(s):  
Moral Virtue ◽  
The State ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
State Council ◽  
Credit System ◽  
The West ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
The Government ◽  
Social Sorting

In 2014, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China released a document that called for the construction of a nationwide Social Credit System (SCS) with the goal to encourage sincerity and punish insincerity. The system uses blacklists that citizens land on for various cases of misbehavior, ranging from failing to pay a fine to being caught Jaywalking. This research explains the design process behind the SCS and in particular why many Chinese citizens are embracing this form of surveillance. It focuses on three topics to answer this question: the historical roots underlying the system, the perceived lack of trust in Chinese society and the comparison with concepts from surveillance theories developed in the West. From the analysis, following conclusions could be drawn: Historically, the state has often acted as a promoter and enforcer of moral virtue. The SCS fits perfectly into this tradition. The most prominent reason for the positive Chinese reaction is the lack of institutions in China that promote trust between citizens and businesses. There is a severe trust deficit which the government had to find a solution for. Regarding surveillance theory, Foucault’s concept of ‘panopticism’ shows similarities with the SCS and underlines its effectiveness in changing and steering people’s behavior while Lyon’s notion of ‘social sorting’ is used to demonstrate the potential dangers of the Chinese system.

scholarly journals Give us a little social credit: to design or to discover personal ratings in the era of Big Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Devereaux ◽  
Linan Peng
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Credit Ratings ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
The State ◽  
State Council ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Personal Credit ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
Financial Credit

AbstractIn 2014, the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party announced the institution of a social credit system by 2020, a follow-up to a similar statement on the creation of a social credit system issued by the State Council in 2007. Social credit ratings of the type being developed by the State Council in partnership with Chinese companies go beyond existing financial credit ratings in an attempt to project less-tangible personal characteristics like trustworthiness, criminal tendencies, and group loyalty onto a single scale. The emergence of personal credit ratings is enabled by Big Data, automated decision-making processes, machine learning, and facial recognition technology. It is quite likely that various kinds of personal and social credit ratings shall become reality in the near future. We explore China's version of its social credit system so far, compare the welfare and epistemological qualities of an ecology of personal ratings emanating from polycentric sources versus a social credit rating, and discuss whether a social credit system in an ideologically driven state is less a tool to maximize social welfare through trustworthiness provision and more a method of preventing and punishing deviance from a set of party-held ideological values.

scholarly journals Sesame Credit in China’s Social Management System in the 2010s

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3 (27)) ◽  
pp. 79-86
Author(s):  
Dmitry I. Popov
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Credit Scoring ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
State System ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
Chinese Company ◽  
And Control ◽  
Social Management

The article shows that the Chinese company Ant Financial is developing a social credit system named Sesame Credit going beyond the traditional credit scoring mechanism on this way. Sesame Credit aims to form “civilized behavior” of citizens as an instrument of social management and control. In the late of the 2010s some of Sesame Credit's technologies and information resources have been integrated into a large-scale state system of social credit which is still in its infancy.

Datafication, dataveillance, and the social credit system as China’s new normal

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 952-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Seungeun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Credit System ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Credit Score ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
The Social ◽  
Chinese State

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore how China uses a social credit system as part of its “data-driven authoritarianism” policy; and second, to investigate how datafication, which is a method to legitimize data collection, and dataveillance, which is continuous surveillance through the use of data, offer the Chinese state a legitimate method of monitoring, surveilling and controlling citizens, businesses and society. Taken together, China’s social credit system is analyzed as an integrated tool for datafication, dataveillance and data-driven authoritarianism. Design/methodology/approach This study combines the personal narratives of 22 Chinese citizens with policy analyses, online discussions and media reports. The stories were collected using a scenario-based story completion method to understand the participants’ perceptions of the recently introduced social credit system in China. Findings China’s new social credit system, which turns both online and offline behaviors into a credit score through smartphone apps, creates a “new normal” way of life for Chinese citizens. This data-driven authoritarianism uses data and technology to enhance citizen surveillance. Interactions between individuals, technologies and information emerge from understanding the system as one that provides social goods, using technologies, and raising concerns of privacy, security and collectivity. An integrated critical perspective that incorporates the concepts of datafication and dataveillance enhances a general understanding of how data-driven authoritarianism develops through the social credit system. Originality/value This study builds upon an ongoing debate and an emerging body of literature on datafication, dataveillance and digital sociology while filling empirical gaps in the study of the global South. The Chinese social credit system has growing recognition and importance as both a governing tool and a part of everyday datafication and dataveillance processes. Thus, these phenomena necessitate discussion of its consequences for, and applications by, the Chinese state and businesses, as well as affected individuals’ efforts to adapt to the system.

When Bentham Meets Big Data in Times of COVID-19

2022 ◽  
pp. 168-186
Author(s):  
Filiz Resuloğlu
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
High Time ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Credit System ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
Short Time

2020 has been marked by a ‘once in a century crisis' that influenced the dynamics of the globe deeply. Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, most daily practices had to be transferred to online platforms as humanity was supposed to adopt social and physical distancing to avoid the risk of infection. Even technologically illiterate people were abruptly charged with online tasks as part of their jobs or responsibilities. It suddenly turned out to be high time to go online and have a digital identity to keep pace with the new normal life. Thus, internet has taken its place among the basic needs more specifically than before. This chapter is about the technology-driven supervisory social credit system which is said to have contributed to Chinese state to manage the COVID-19 crisis in a short time. Exploring the foundations, motives, and highlights of the system, this chapter proposes a framework for a potential digital governance model coined as the Cyber Leviathan and bears importance in terms of crisis management.

The State and Digital Society in China: Big Brother Xi is Watching You!

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (01) ◽  
pp. 2040003
Author(s):  
JEAN-PIERRE CABESTAN
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Big Brother ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
Privacy Breaches ◽  
And Control

There is no question that China is ahead of many developed countries in the digitalization of both its society and surveillance systems. It is also clear that the new technologies made possible by this digitalization — the widespread use of smart ID cards, the Great Firewall, the accumulation of Big Data, the social credit system (SCS) and facial recognition — have enhanced the capacity of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to rule China, maintain control over society and stay in power indefinitely. While these are not the only systems in place to manage and control Chinese citizens and this is not their sole purpose, these developments have been rightly seen as part of an ambitious Orwellian project to micromanage and microcontrol every aspect of Chinese society. To better comprehend the significance of this new phenomenon, this paper employs Michel Foucault’s “Panopticon” metaphor, the perfect mean of surveillance and discipline as well as an “apparatus of power.” Yet, these new technologies have their own limits. In real life there is no perfect Panopticon as no society, even the most controlled one, is a sealed prison. Censorship on the Web is erratic and the full implementation of the SCS is likely to be postponed beyond 2020 for both technical and political reasons, as more Chinese citizens have raised concerns about unchecked data collection and privacy breaches. As a result, China is probably heading toward a somewhat fragmented digitalized society and surveillance system that is more repressive in some localities and more flexible in others, as is the case with the Chinese bureaucracy in general.

scholarly journals Possibilities of Applying the Chinese Social Credit System to Combat Terrorism

Politeja ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6(69)) ◽  
pp. 183-196
Author(s):  
Dominika Dziwisz
Keyword(s):  
Security Policy ◽  
The State ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Credit System ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
The Social

2011 saw the start of the pilot phase of the Social Credit System. The societies of democratic states interpreted it as an extreme example of human rights violation. In turn, what is usually forgotten is that the SCS is not the first citizen assessment system, because similar systems have been successfully functioning since 1960s in democratic countries. Scientific analyses of SCS operations are usually limited to its negative consequences. There are fewer attempts by governments of democratic states to assess the use of elements of SCS and algorithmic data analysis, for example in order to increase the level of security of citizens. As a result, this article presents the research hypothesis that elements of the SCS may be successfully applied also in democratic states for the purpose of more effective combating of terrorism. With modern methods of analyzing Big Data sets, it is possible, for example, to accelerate recognition of terrorist networks, support identification of sources of radicalization in online communities and increase the effectiveness of anti-terrorist strategies in order to protect citizens against contemporary terrorist threats. For such a system to be as effective as possible, it should take over some assumptions of the SCS which are explained in this article: Firstly, it should be centralized and controlled by the state. Secondly, the information obtained and processed should be used solely for the purposes of the state security policy, i.e. in the scope smaller than in the case of China. Thirdly, the data should be obtained from multiple sources, public and private ones, in order to increase the accuracy of predictions. Fourthly, the violation of the principles of social coexistence might result in specific penalties, and compliance therewith – in rewards.

scholarly journals Transforming Society for the Better?

MaRBLe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Aldendorff
Keyword(s):  
Moral Virtue ◽  
The State ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
State Council ◽  
Credit System ◽  
The West ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
The Government ◽  
Social Sorting

In 2014, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China released a document that called for the construction of a nationwide Social Credit System (SCS) with the goal to encourage sincerity and punish insincerity. The system uses blacklists that citizens land on for various cases of misbehavior, ranging from failing to pay a fine to being caught Jaywalking. This research explains the design process behind the SCS and in particular why many Chinese citizens are embracing this form of surveillance. It focuses on three topics to answer this question: the historical roots underlying the system, the perceived lack of trust in Chinese society and the comparison with concepts from surveillance theories developed in the West. From the analysis, following conclusions could be drawn: Historically, the state has often acted as a promoter and enforcer of moral virtue. The SCS fits perfectly into this tradition. The most prominent reason for the positive Chinese reaction is the lack of institutions in China that promote trust between citizens and businesses. There is a severe trust deficit which the government had to find a solution for. Regarding surveillance theory, Foucault’s concept of ‘panopticism’ shows similarities with the SCS and underlines its effectiveness in changing and steering people’s behavior while Lyon’s notion of ‘social sorting’ is used to demonstrate the potential dangers of the Chinese system.

scholarly journals China's Social Credit System: Data-Driven Governance for a ‘New Era’

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (809) ◽  
pp. 209-214
Author(s):  
Larry Catá Backer
Keyword(s):  
Data Driven ◽  
Credit System ◽  
New Era ◽  
Control Behavior ◽  
Social Credit ◽  
System Data

“Social credit redirects the power of data away from markets and strengthens the state's ability to comprehensively control behavior.” First in a series on ways of governing.

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