China just announced a new social credit law. Here’s what it means.
The West has largely gotten China’s social credit system wrong. But draft legislation introduced in November offers a more accurate picture of the reality.
MIT Technology Review,
2022
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In 2014, China’s leaders released the blueprint for a “social credit system,” alongside a financial scoring plan, that would monitor citizens’ behavior and enforce “state-sanctioned moral values.” Many Western observers imagine the system as a vast technology network controlling people’s lives. Not so, says journalist Zeyi Yang, but questions remain about its economic and social implications. Yang examines the framework through its origins, its ongoing development and future plans. Business leaders interested in a detailed assessment of China’s social credit system will find valuable intelligence in this eye-opening report.
Summary
About the Author
Zeyi Yang, based in New York City, is a journalist covering China for MIT Technology Review.
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