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China Is Becoming A "Black Mirror" Episode

As if technology wasn't already taking over our lives, China is now considering a ranking system.

cayleejest

Jun 11, 2019

Florida State University

380

China Is Becoming A "Black Mirror" Episode

Netflix

Recently, China has announced that in 2020 they will have a fully operational "social credit" system. People can be rewarded or punished according to their score, which seems an awful lot like "Black Mirror: Nosedive" episode. The ranking can be moved up and down based on your behavior towards others. Below are some of the punishments for having a low ranking:

Banning on travel

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While China has already started putting restrictions on travel towards people, they will leave luxury options towards higher ranked people. As of right now, over nine million people with low scores have been blocked from buying domestic flights.

Controlling internet speed

Credit systems will monitor if people pay bills on time, or if you spend too much time on a video game or posting on social media.

Banning you or your kids from the best schools

In July, a Chinese university denied an incoming student his spot because the student's father had a bad social credit score.

Losing out on better jobs

"Trust breaking" individuals would be banned from doing management jobs in state-owned firms and banks.

Keeping you out of nicer hotels

People who refused military services were banned from some hotels. On the other hand, the system also rewards people, those with good scores can speed up travel applications.

You could lose your dog

In 2017, the city of Jinan started a point deduction system if the dog is walked without a leash or causes a public disturbance. Those who lose all their point will have their dog confiscated and have to take a test on regulations required for pet ownership.

Currently, there is a blacklist that exists with people names and their social ranking. The government encourages businesses to look at the list before hiring someone. Those on the list may not even apply for credit cards or travel.

While some may see this social ranking a good thing, I feel it forces some people to be completely fake. The episode in "Black Mirror" heavily emphasized that it is only a matter of time before someone breaks. A bad ranking can ruin your life, and getting your rank back up is nearly impossible.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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