A bad social ranking could affect every aspect of someone’s life, The Verge reports, thanks to the country’s forthcoming “social credit” system. The system, set to launch in May, will allow the Chinese government to establish rules that will judge citizens’ behaviors and financial backgrounds in order to determine Citizen Scores, which will affect a person’s access to high-speed internet, restaurants, and travel. Citizens with low scores will also be banned from buying train or plane tickets.
The scores, on a scale of 350 to 950, ding people for failing to pay a phone bill on time, but get a boost if friends and acquaintances rate a social interaction positively, Rachel Botsman writes in her book Who Can You Trust?, published in part by Wired.
Source: Low ‘social credit scores’ will restrict plane and train travel for Chinese citizens
