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Social Credit Score

Source: ABC Finance Ltd

If you’ve never seen British television series Black Mirror, don’t worry, there’s a chance you could get a dose of the dystopian fiction show in real life.

In one terrifying episode, people were ranked and punished by their social credit score, which determined what kind of jobs they could work, where they could live, and the kind of people that would befriend them. Increasing this score meant upgrading your overall existence. IRL, the Chinese will rank its people by the year 2020 and Europe is currently considering the national reputation system as well—so how close are the United States and the UK to implementing a SCS…because quite frankly, it feels like it could be right around the corner.

According to ABC Finance Ltd, should this go into effect everywhere “Governmental and financial institutions will monitor your everyday behaviour; ranking the way you spend your money, behave on social media and even who you associate with. This score could affect every aspect of your life, from the seats you can book on a plane to your access to dating sites, priority healthcare and even the school your children can attend.”

The commercial finance specialists have been surveying folks in the wake of this disturbing news, and what they found was at least a fourth of the people questioned would be penalized under the credit system for these actions:

  • 30% had criticized the government on social media.
  • 64% would refuse to sign up for military service if it was asked of them.
  • 41% of respondents admitted they’ve been late paying bills.
  • 35% admitted to disobeying traffic laws when driving

66% of respondents said they would change their day-to-day behavior to increase their score. Also interesting is the fact that 75% of those surveyed said they would stop associating with friends if they were lowing their own personal score. Of the incentives to earn a good social credit score, priority healthcare was the most appealing. “Being publicly named and shamed” was the most concerning penalty, according to the survey results—because, of course, people want to do their dirt in private. Other penalties include not being able to get the best jobs, slower internet speeds, and even limited access to public transportation.

If you think you could live with your social credit score, take this interactive quiz that shows you where you would potentially be ranked. It asks about what you post online, how you would modify your behavior moving forward, how much time you spend watching TV, and more.

Black Mirror Effect: We’re ThisClose To Being Ranked By A Social Credit Score IRL  was originally published on globalgrind.com