{"id":116,"date":"2019-08-26T20:59:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T20:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/petersantilli.com\/?p=116"},"modified":"2019-08-26T20:59:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T20:59:33","slug":"silicon-valley-is-building-a-chinese-style-social-credit-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petersantilli.com\/?p=116","title":{"rendered":"Silicon Valley is building a Chinese-style social credit system"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QrhSN_i2zGg\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"post__title\"><a class=\"\" title=\"Uh-oh: Silicon Valley is building a Chinese-style social credit system\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/90394048\/uh-oh-silicon-valley-is-building-a-chinese-style-social-credit-system\">Silicon Valley is building a Chinese-style social credit system<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<section>\n<section>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div data-slug=\"uh-oh-silicon-valley-is-building-a-chinese-style-social-credit-system\" data-id=\"90394048\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<article>Have you heard about China\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/40563225\/chinas-terrifying-social-credit-surveillance-system-is-expanding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social credit system<\/a>? It\u2019s a technology-enabled, surveillance-based nationwide program designed to nudge citizens toward better behavior. The ultimate goal is to \u201callow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step,\u201d according to the Chinese government.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In place since 2014, the social credit system is a work in progress that could evolve by next year into a single, nationwide point system for all Chinese citizens, akin to a financial credit score. It aims to punish for transgressions that can include membership in or support for the Falun Gong or Tibetan Buddhism, failure to pay debts, excessive video gaming, criticizing the government, late payments, failing to sweep the sidewalk in front of your store or house, smoking or playing loud music on trains, jaywalking, and other actions deemed illegal or unacceptable by the Chinese government.<\/p>\n<p>It can also award points for charitable donations or even taking one\u2019s own parents to the doctor.<\/p>\n<p>Punishments can be harsh, including bans on leaving the country, using public transportation, checking into hotels, hiring for high-visibility jobs, or acceptance of children to private schools. It can also result in slower internet connections and social stigmatization in the form of registration on a public blacklist.<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s social credit system has been characterized in one pithy tweet as \u201cauthoritarianism, gamified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At present, some parts of the social credit system are in force nationwide and others are local and limited (there are 40 or so pilot projects operated by local governments and at least six run by tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Beijing maintains two nationwide lists, called the blacklist and the red list\u2014the former consisting of people who have transgressed, and the latter people who have stayed out of trouble (a \u201cred list\u201d is the Communist version of a white list.) These lists are publicly searchable on a government website called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creditchina.gov.cn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">China Credit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese government also shares lists with technology platforms. So, for example, if someone criticizes the government on Weibo, their kids might be ineligible for acceptance to an elite school.<\/p>\n<p>Public shaming is also part of China\u2019s social credit system. Pictures of blacklisted people in one city were shown between videos on TikTok in a trial, and the addresses of blacklisted citizens were shown on a map on WeChat.<\/p>\n<p>Some Western press reports imply that the Chinese populace is suffocating in a nationwide Skinner box of oppressive behavioral modification. But some Chinese are unaware that it even exists. And many others actually like the idea. One survey <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/1461444819826402\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">found that 80% of Chinese citizens surveyed either somewhat or strongly approve of social credit system.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>It can happen here<\/h2>\n<p>Many Westerners are disturbed by what they read about China\u2019s social credit system. But such systems, it turns out, are not unique to China. A parallel system is developing in the United States, in part as the result of Silicon Valley and technology-industry user policies, and in part by surveillance of social media activity by private companies.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the elements of America\u2019s growing social credit system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h2>Insurance companies<\/h2>\n<p>The New York State Department of Financial Services <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jessicabaron\/2019\/02\/04\/life-insurers-can-use-social-media-posts-to-determine-premiums\/#322d776d23ce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced earlier this year<\/a> that life insurance companies can base premiums on what they find in your social media posts. That Instagram pic showing you teasing a grizzly bear at Yellowstone with a martini in one hand, a bucket of cheese fries in the other, and a cigarette in your mouth, could cost you. On the other hand, a Facebook post showing you doing yoga might save you money. (Insurance companies have to demonstrate that social media evidence points to risk, and not be based on discrimination of any kind\u2014they can\u2019t use social posts to alter premiums based on race or disability, for example.)<\/p>\n<p>The use of social media is an extension of the lifestyle questions typically asked when applying for life insurance, such as questions about whether you engage in rock climbing or other adventure sports. Saying \u201cno,\u201d but then posting pictures of yourself free-soloing El Capitan, could count as a \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>PatronScan<\/h2>\n<p>A company called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patronscan.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PatronScan<\/a> sells three products\u2014kiosk, desktop, and handheld systems\u2014designed to help bar and restaurant owners manage customers. PatronScan is a subsidiary of the Canadian software company Servall Biometrics, and its products are now on sale in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>PatronScan helps spot fake IDs\u2014and troublemakers. When customers arrive at a PatronScan-using bar, their ID is scanned. The company maintains a list of objectionable customers designed to protect venues from people previously removed for \u201cfighting, sexual assault, drugs, theft, and other bad behavior,\u201d according to its website. A \u201cpublic\u201d list is shared among all PatronScan customers. So someone who\u2019s banned by one bar in the U.S. is potentially banned by all the bars in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada that use the PatronScan system for up to a year. (PatronScan Australia keeps a separate system.)<\/p>\n<p>Judgment about what kind of behavior qualifies for inclusion on a PatronScan list is up to the bar owners and managers. Individual bar owners can ignore the ban, if they like. Data on non-offending customers is deleted in 90 days or less. Also: PatronScan enables bars to keep a \u201cprivate\u201d list that is not shared with other bars, but on which bad customers can be kept for up to five years.<\/p>\n<p>PatronScan does have an \u201cappeals\u201d process, but it\u2019s up to the company to grant or deny those appeals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h2>Uber and Airbnb<\/h2>\n<p>Thanks to the sharing economy, the options for travel have been extended far beyond taxis and hotels. Uber and Airbnb are leaders in providing transportation and accommodation for travelers. But there are many similar ride-sharing and peer-to-peer accommodations companies providing similar services.<\/p>\n<p>Airbnb\u2014a major provider of travel accommodation and tourist activities\u2014bragged in March that it now has more than 6 million listings in its system. That\u2019s why a ban from Airbnb can limit travel options.<\/p>\n<p>Airbnb can disable your account for life for any reason it chooses, and it reserves the right to not tell you the reason. The company\u2019s canned message includes the assertion that \u201cThis decision is irreversible and will affect any duplicated or future accounts. Please understand that we are not obligated to provide an explanation for the action taken against your account.\u201d The ban can be based on something the host privately tells Airbnb about something they believe you did while staying at their property. Airbnb\u2019s competitors have similar policies.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s now easy to get banned by Uber, too. Whenever you get out of the car after an Uber ride, the app invites you to rate the driver. What many passengers don\u2019t know is that the driver now also gets an invitation to rate you. Under a new policy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/05\/29\/728005817\/uber-to-start-banning-passengers-with-low-ratings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced in May<\/a>: If your average rating is \u201csignificantly below average,\u201d Uber will ban you from the service.<\/p>\n<h2>WhatsApp<\/h2>\n<p>You can be banned from communications apps, too. For example, you can be banned on WhatsApp if too many other users block you. You can also get banned for sending spam, threatening messages, trying to hack or reverse-engineer the WhatsApp app, or using the service with an unauthorized app.<\/p>\n<p>WhatsApp is small potatoes in the United States. But in much of the world, it\u2019s the main form of electronic communication. Not being allowed to use WhatsApp in some countries is as punishing as not being allowed to use the telephone system in America.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h2>What\u2019s wrong with social credit, anyway?<\/h2>\n<p>Nobody likes antisocial, violent, rude, unhealthy, reckless, selfish, or deadbeat behavior. What\u2019s wrong with using new technology to encourage everyone to behave?<\/p>\n<p>The most disturbing attribute of a social credit system is not that it\u2019s invasive, but that it\u2019s extralegal. Crimes are punished outside the legal system, which means no presumption of innocence, no legal representation, no judge, no jury, and often no appeal. In other words, it\u2019s an alternative legal system where the accused have fewer rights.<\/p>\n<p>Social credit systems are an end-run around the pesky complications of the legal system. Unlike China\u2019s government policy, the social credit system emerging in the U.S. is enforced by private companies. If the public objects to how these laws are enforced, it can\u2019t elect new rule-makers.<\/p>\n<p>An increasing number of societal \u201cprivileges\u201d related to transportation, accommodations, communications, and the rates we pay for services (like insurance) are either controlled by technology companies or affected by how we use technology services. And Silicon Valley\u2019s rules for being allowed to use their services are getting stricter.<\/p>\n<p>If current trends hold, it\u2019s possible that in the future a majority of misdemeanors and even some felonies will be punished not by Washington, D.C., but by Silicon Valley. It\u2019s a slippery slope away from democracy and toward corporatocracy.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, in the future, law enforcement may be determined less by the Constitution and legal code, and more by end-user license agreements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>via Fast Company https:\/\/ift.tt\/2Pa0dmX<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Silicon Valley is building a Chinese-style social credit system Have you heard about China\u2019s social&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-stories"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?fit=1620%2C1080&ssl=1",1620,1080,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1",640,427,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1",640,427,true],"rpg_gallery_admin_thumb":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"rpg_gallery_thumb":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?fit=1536%2C1024&ssl=1",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?fit=1620%2C1080&ssl=1",1620,1080,true],"newsphere-slider-full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?resize=1280%2C720&ssl=1",1280,720,true],"newsphere-featured":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1",1024,683,true],"newsphere-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/petersantilli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/f3706486-bd72-11e8-8bc4-fc59ff6846aa_image_hires_145149.jpg?resize=720%2C380&ssl=1",720,380,true]},"author_info":{"info":["Peter 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