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China To Bar People With Bad 'Social Credit' From Planes, Trains (reuters.com)
China says it will begin applying its so-called social credit system to flights and trains and stop people who have committed misdeeds from taking such transport for up to a year. From a report: People who would be put on the restricted lists included those found to have committed acts like spreading false information about terrorism and causing trouble on flights, as well as those who used expired tickets or smoked on trains, according to two statements issued on the National Development and Reform Commission's website on Friday. Those found to have committed financial wrongdoings, such as employers who failed to pay social insurance or people who have failed to pay fines, would also face these restrictions, said the statements which were dated March 2. It added that the rules would come into effect on May 1.
If you break the rules you should be punished. But this is not really punishing through clearly defined laws and due process with the right to appeal. This is doling out demerit points that are in themselves meaningless (thus not contestable), but now appear to add up to some serious consequences. The scary part is that the government is lumping in criminal behaviour, misdemeanors, and "socially undesirable" behaviour all in one points system, which basically means they get to tell you what being a virtuous person means, and get to enforce those rules.
Also, the punishment should fit the crime. Being banned from trains and planes is a fitting punishment for someone who repeatedly smokes on a non smoking train, or harasses the flight attendants. It is not appropriate for not paying your parking tickets.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
What's communist about them other than the name of their party? Nothing. If Trump renamed the Republicans to the Liberal party this evening, they would also not be liberal.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Actually, I think this is a pretty decent idea
Trying to up your social credit already :)
That idea is bad in so many ways one cannot count. Who decides what "social credit" is ? If a Citizen of China reads anything about Taiwan, Tibet or Tiananmen Square will that decrease their social credit. What about "Term Limits", I just heard that is a banned phrase in China.
What about this post on a US Site by a non-China citizen, will this very post get me marked as having bad social credit in China, thus denied a visa ? I can see China can easily export they thought control to other countries.
Well I guess I will never get to visit that country now. For visa denial, this social credit thing seems to be being done by a lot of countries, even the US in rare cases. But so far at least the US and most countries does not use "Social Credit" for internal purposes.
Honestly, the examples they give don't sound all that bad at first
For "false information about terrorism", read "complaining about the government in any way". For "Can't ride the train if you owe a fine", read "debtor's prison".
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.