<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
national	O
credit	O
rating	O
and	O
blacklist	O
being	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
government	O
of	O
the	O
People	O
's	O
Republic	O
of	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
multiple	O
,	O
different	O
forms	O
of	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
being	O
experimented	O
with	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
national	O
regulatory	O
method	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
blacklisting	O
and	O
whitelisting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
an	O
extension	O
to	O
the	O
existing	O
financial	O
credit	O
rating	O
system	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
has	O
generated	O
a	O
large	O
amount	O
of	O
misreporting	O
and	O
misconceptions	O
in	O
English-language	O
mass	O
media	O
due	O
to	O
translation	O
errors	O
,	O
sensationalism	O
,	O
conflicting	O
information	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
comprehensive	O
analysis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
these	O
misconceptions	O
include	O
widespread	O
misassumption	O
that	O
Chinese	O
citizens	O
are	O
rewarded	O
and	O
punished	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
numerical	O
score	O
assigned	O
by	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
that	O
its	O
decisions	O
are	O
taken	O
by	O
AI	B-Application
and	O
that	O
it	O
constantly	O
monitors	O
Chinese	O
citizens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
origin	O
of	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
can	O
be	O
traced	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
attempts	O
to	O
develop	O
personal	O
banking	O
and	O
financial	O
credit	O
rating	O
systems	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
Western	O
commercial	O
credit	O
systems	O
like	O
FICO	O
,	O
Equifax	O
,	O
and	O
TransUnion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
blueprints	O
of	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
was	O
drafted	O
in	O
2007	O
by	O
government	O
bodies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
also	O
attempts	O
to	O
solve	O
the	O
moral	O
vacuum	O
problem	O
,	O
insufficient	O
market	O
supervision	O
and	O
income	O
inequality	O
generated	O
by	O
the	O
rapid	O
economic	O
and	O
social	O
changes	O
since	O
Chinese	O
economic	O
reform	O
in	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
policy	O
of	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
traces	O
its	O
origin	O
from	O
both	O
policing	O
and	O
work	O
management	O
practices	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
concept	O
itself	O
can	O
trace	O
as	O
far	O
back	O
as	O
the	O
Warring	O
States	O
period	O
to	O
Shang	O
Yang	O
's	O
Legalist	O
meritocratic	O
assessment	O
and	O
promotion	O
system	O
practiced	O
by	O
the	O
imperial	O
bureaucracy	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
functioning	O
of	O
Chinese	O
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
also	O
originated	O
from	O
grid-style	O
social	O
management	O
,	O
a	O
policing	O
strategy	O
first	O
implemented	O
in	O
select	O
locations	O
from	O
2001	O
and	O
2002	O
(	O
during	O
the	O
administration	O
of	O
Chinese	O
Communist	O
Party	O
general	O
secretary	O
Jiang	O
Zemin	O
)	O
in	O
specific	O
locations	O
across	O
mainland	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2002	O
,	O
the	O
Jiang	O
administration	O
proposed	O
a	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
promotion	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
unified	O
,	O
open	O
,	O
competitive	O
,	O
and	O
orderly	O
modern	O
market	O
system.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
stated	O
purpose	O
of	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
is	O
to	O
help	O
Chinese	O
people	O
trust	O
each	O
other	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
list	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
a	O
first	O
step	O
towards	O
a	O
national	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
by	O
state-owned	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
People	O
's	O
Bank	O
of	O
China	O
licensed	O
eight	O
companies	O
to	O
begin	O
a	O
trial	O
of	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
systems	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
algorithms	O
used	O
to	O
assign	O
scores	O
in	O
commercial	O
pilot	O
programs	O
remain	O
unknown	O
,	O
although	O
sources	O
say	O
some	O
pilots	O
use	O
a	O
big-data	B-Application
analysis	O
and	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
approach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Chinese	O
central	O
government	O
originally	O
considered	O
having	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
be	O
run	O
by	O
a	O
private	O
firm	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
2017	O
,	O
it	O
acknowledged	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
third-party	O
administration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
's	O
operation	O
by	O
a	O
seemingly	O
external	O
association	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
formal	O
collaboration	O
between	O
private	O
firms	O
,	O
has	O
not	O
been	O
ruled	O
out	O
yet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Private	O
companies	O
have	O
also	O
signed	O
contracts	O
with	O
provincial	O
governments	O
to	O
set	O
up	O
the	O
basic	O
infrastructure	O
for	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
at	O
the	O
provincial	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
has	O
been	O
monitoring	O
the	O
progress	O
of	O
third-party	O
Chinese	O
credit	O
rating	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2017	O
the	O
National	O
Development	O
and	O
Reform	O
Commission	O
and	O
People	O
's	O
Bank	O
of	O
China	O
selected	O
"	O
model	O
cities	O
"	O
that	O
demonstrated	O
the	O
steps	O
needed	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
functional	O
and	O
efficient	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
local	O
government	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
experiments	O
are	O
focused	O
more	O
on	O
the	O
construction	O
of	O
transparent	O
rule-based	O
systems	O
,	O
in	O
contrast	O
with	O
the	O
more	O
advanced	O
rating	O
systems	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
commercial	O
pilots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2022	O
,	O
over	O
62	O
different	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
pilot	O
programs	O
were	O
implemented	O
by	O
local	O
governments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pilot	O
programs	O
began	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
2014	O
"	O
Planning	O
Outline	O
for	O
the	O
Construction	O
of	O
a	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
"	O
by	O
Chinese	O
authorities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
government	O
oversees	O
the	O
creation	O
and	O
development	O
of	O
these	O
governmental	O
pilots	O
by	O
requesting	O
they	O
each	O
publish	O
a	O
regular	O
"	O
interdepartmental	O
agreement	O
on	O
joint	O
enforcement	O
of	O
rewards	O
and	O
punishments	O
for	O
'	O
trustworthy	O
 '	O
and	O
'	O
untrustworthy	B-Algorithm
 '	O
conduct.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
journalist	O
Simina	O
Mistreanu	O
described	O
a	O
community	O
where	O
people	O
's	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
scores	I-Application
were	O
posted	O
near	O
the	O
village	O
center	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2018	O
,	O
some	O
restrictions	O
had	O
been	O
placed	O
on	O
citizens	O
which	O
state-owned	O
media	O
described	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
step	O
toward	O
creating	O
a	O
nationwide	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
will	O
be	O
limited	O
to	O
Mainland	O
China	O
and	O
thus	O
does	O
not	O
apply	O
to	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
and	O
Macau	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
Government	O
stated	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
that	O
claims	O
that	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
will	O
be	O
rolled	O
out	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
are	O
"	O
totally	O
unfounded	O
"	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
system	O
will	O
not	O
be	O
implemented	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
China	O
's	O
"	O
top-level	O
design	O
"	O
(	O
)	O
approach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
implemented	O
as	O
envisioned	O
,	O
it	O
will	O
constitute	O
a	O
new	O
way	O
of	O
controlling	O
both	O
the	O
behavior	O
of	O
individuals	O
and	O
of	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
multiple	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
systems	I-Application
in	O
China	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
designed	O
and	O
operated	O
by	O
the	O
state	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
are	O
operated	O
by	O
private	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
FICO	O
,	O
a	O
numerical	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
score	I-Application
calculated	O
by	O
individual	O
behavior	O
and	O
activities	O
was	O
given	O
to	O
citizens	O
in	O
certain	O
pilot	O
programs	O
developed	O
by	O
financial	O
firms	O
or	O
localized	O
initiatives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
's	O
2015	O
Plan	O
for	O
Implementation	O
,	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
was	O
due	O
to	O
be	O
fully	O
implemented	O
by	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
National	O
Development	O
and	O
Reform	O
Commission	O
of	O
China	O
,	O
27	O
million	O
air	O
tickets	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
6	O
million	O
high-speed	O
rail	O
tickets	O
had	O
been	O
denied	O
to	O
people	O
who	O
were	O
deemed	O
"	O
untrustworthy	B-Algorithm
(	O
)	O
"	O
(	O
on	O
a	O
blacklist	O
)	O
and	O
4.4	O
million	O
"	O
untrustworthy	B-Algorithm
"	O
people	O
had	O
chosen	O
to	O
fulfill	O
their	O
duties	O
required	O
by	O
the	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
personal	O
information	O
of	O
the	O
blacklisted	O
people	O
is	O
deliberately	O
made	O
accessible	O
to	O
the	O
society	O
and	O
is	O
displayed	O
online	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
at	O
various	O
public	O
venues	O
such	O
as	O
movie	O
theaters	O
and	O
buses	O
,	O
while	O
some	O
cities	O
have	O
also	O
banned	O
children	O
of	O
"	O
untrustworthy	B-Algorithm
"	O
residents	O
from	O
attending	O
private	O
schools	O
and	O
even	O
universities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
initiatives	O
under	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
do	O
not	O
involve	O
actual	O
numerical	O
scores	O
,	O
instead	O
documentations	O
of	O
specific	O
offense	O
are	O
recorded	O
in	O
one	O
's	O
credit	O
profiles	O
,	O
the	O
exception	O
being	O
the	O
trial	O
programs	O
launched	O
by	O
some	O
cities	O
and	O
communities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
+StageTypeIntroductionPolicy	O
City	O
trials	O
Social	O
2016	O
Starting	O
1	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
Shanghai	B-Device
elderly	O
residents	O
may	O
sue	O
their	O
children	O
or	O
other	O
family	O
members	O
if	O
the	O
latter	O
do	O
not	O
regularly	O
visit	O
the	O
elderly	O
and	O
the	O
courts	O
in	O
Shanghai	B-Device
may	O
rule	O
that	O
the	O
children	O
or	O
other	O
family	O
members	O
must	O
visit	O
the	O
elderly	O
and	O
,	O
if	O
rejected	O
,	O
the	O
children	O
or	O
relevant	O
family	O
members	O
will	O
be	O
blacklisted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shanghai	B-Device
Police	O
Department	O
intended	O
to	O
establish	O
a	O
point	O
system	O
in	O
2019	O
for	O
dog	O
owner	O
offense	O
which	O
is	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
owners	O
 '	O
overall	O
credit	O
profiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
's	O
2015	O
Plan	O
for	O
Implementation	O
,	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
due	O
to	O
be	O
fully	O
implemented	O
by	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
14	O
November	O
2022	O
a	O
draft	O
law	O
"	O
Establishment	O
of	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
"	O
for	O
fine	O
-	O
tuning	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
was	O
posted	O
for	O
one	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
meant	O
to	O
provide	O
an	O
answer	O
to	O
the	O
problem	O
of	O
lack	O
of	O
trust	O
on	O
the	O
Chinese	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
corporate	O
regulation	O
function	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
advanced	O
than	O
other	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
Corporate	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
"	O
has	O
been	O
the	O
primary	O
focus	O
of	O
government	O
attention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
is	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
the	O
risk	O
assessment	O
credit	O
rating	O
systems	O
that	O
were	O
introduced	O
in	O
China	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
businesses	O
,	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
meant	O
to	O
serve	O
as	O
a	O
market	O
regulation	O
mechanism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
goal	O
is	O
to	O
establish	O
a	O
self-enforcing	O
regulatory	O
regime	O
fueled	O
by	O
big	B-Application
data	I-Application
in	O
which	O
businesses	O
exercise	O
"	O
self-restraint	O
"	O
( 企业自我约束	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
targets	O
government	O
agencies	O
,	O
assesses	O
local	O
governments	O
 '	O
performance	O
and	O
focuses	O
on	O
financial	O
problems	O
such	O
as	O
local	O
governments	O
 '	O
debts	O
and	O
contract	O
defaults	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Local	O
governments	O
are	O
also	O
encouraged	O
and	O
rewarded	O
by	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
if	O
they	O
successfully	O
implement	O
and	O
follow	O
the	O
orders	O
from	O
the	O
central	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
primarily	O
focuses	O
on	O
the	O
financial	O
trustworthiness	O
of	O
individual	O
citizens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
National	O
Development	O
and	O
Reform	O
Commission	O
of	O
China	O
,	O
26.82	O
million	O
air	O
tickets	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
5.96	O
million	O
high-speed	O
rail	O
tickets	O
had	O
been	O
denied	O
to	O
people	O
who	O
were	O
deemed	O
"	O
untrustworthy( )	O
"	O
(	O
on	O
a	O
blacklist	O
)	O
and	O
4.37	O
million	O
"	O
dishonest	O
"	O
people	O
had	O
chosen	O
to	O
fulfill	O
their	O
duties	O
required	O
by	O
the	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
websites	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
display	O
their	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
score	I-Application
as	O
a	O
prestige	O
symbol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
certain	O
test	O
programs	O
,	O
public	O
humiliation	O
is	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
mechanism	O
to	O
deter	O
poor	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
scores	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Sarah	O
Cook	O
of	O
Freedom	O
House	O
,	O
city-level	O
pilot	O
projects	O
for	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
have	O
included	O
rewarding	O
individuals	O
for	O
aiding	O
authorities	O
in	O
enforcing	O
restrictions	O
of	O
religious	O
practices	O
,	O
including	O
coercing	O
practitioners	O
of	O
Falun	O
Gong	O
to	O
renounce	O
their	O
beliefs	O
and	O
reporting	O
on	O
Uighurs	O
who	O
publicly	O
pray	O
,	O
fast	O
during	O
Ramadan	O
or	O
perform	O
other	O
Islamic	O
practices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2018	O
study	O
,	O
80%	O
of	O
respondents	O
either	O
strongly	O
approved	O
or	O
approved	O
of	O
China	O
's	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
while	O
one	O
percent	O
disapproved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
argued	O
that	O
since	O
2014	O
,	O
China	O
's	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
and	O
the	O
credit	O
system	O
of	O
the	O
market	O
had	O
grown	O
to	O
complement	O
each	O
other	O
,	O
forming	O
a	O
mutually	O
beneficial	O
interaction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Doing	O
Business	O
2019	O
by	O
World	O
Bank	O
Group	O
which	O
ranks	O
"	O
190	O
countries	O
on	O
the	O
ease	O
of	O
doing	O
business	O
within	O
their	O
borders	O
"	O
,	O
China	O
rose	O
from	O
78th	O
place	O
in	O
previous	O
year	O
to	O
46th	O
place	O
and	O
Fan	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
has	O
played	O
an	O
important	O
role	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
China	O
's	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
has	O
been	O
implicated	O
in	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
controversies	O
,	O
especially	O
given	O
that	O
CCP	O
general	O
secretary	O
Xi	O
Jinping	O
and	O
his	O
government	O
have	O
publicly	O
opposed	O
constitutionalism	O
,	O
separation	O
of	O
powers	O
and	O
judicial	O
independence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
Chinese	O
investigative	O
media	O
group	O
Caixin	O
reported	O
that	O
business	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
systems	I-Application
in	O
China	O
were	O
insufficient	O
in	O
deterring	O
problematic	O
business	O
activities	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
was	O
easy	O
to	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
favour	O
of	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2019	O
,	O
George	O
Soros	O
criticized	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
saying	O
it	O
would	O
give	O
CCP	O
leader	O
Xi	O
Jinping	O
"	O
total	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
people	O
of	O
China	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2018	O
,	O
U.S.	O
Vice	O
President	O
Mike	O
Pence	O
criticized	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
an	O
Orwellian	O
system	O
premised	O
on	O
controlling	O
virtually	O
every	O
facet	O
of	O
human	O
life.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2017	O
,	O
Human	O
Rights	O
Watch	O
described	O
the	O
proposed	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
as	O
"	O
chilling	O
"	O
and	O
filled	O
with	O
arbitrary	O
abuses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2019	O
,	O
Wired	O
reported	O
that	O
there	O
existed	O
misconceptions	O
regarding	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
of	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
argued	O
that	O
"	O
Western	O
concerns	O
about	O
what	O
could	O
happen	O
with	O
China	O
's	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
have	O
in	O
some	O
ways	O
outstripped	O
discussions	O
about	O
what	O
's	O
already	O
really	O
occurring	O
...	O
The	O
exaggerated	O
portrayals	O
may	O
also	O
help	O
to	O
downplay	O
surveillance	O
efforts	O
in	O
other	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
world.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2019	O
,	O
Logic	O
published	O
an	O
article	O
by	O
Shazeda	O
Ahmed	O
,	O
who	O
argued	O
that	O
"[f]oreign	O
media	O
has	O
distorted	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
into	O
a	O
technological	O
dystopia	O
far	O
removed	O
from	O
what	O
is	O
actually	O
happening	O
in	O
China.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
and	O
February	O
2019	O
,	O
MIT	O
Technology	O
Review	O
stated	O
that	O
,	O
"[i]n	O
the	O
West	O
,	O
the	O
system	O
is	O
highly	O
controversial	O
and	O
often	O
portrayed	O
as	O
an	O
AI-powered	O
surveillance	O
regime	O
that	O
violates	O
human	O
rights.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
reported	O
that	O
"	O
many	O
scholars	O
argue	O
that	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
scores	I-Application
wo	O
n't	O
have	O
the	O
wide-scale	O
controlling	O
effect	O
presumed	O
...	O
the	O
system	O
acts	O
more	O
as	O
a	O
tool	O
of	O
propaganda	O
than	O
a	O
tool	O
of	O
enforcement	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
"[o]thers	O
point	O
out	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
simply	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
Chinese	O
culture	O
's	O
long	O
tradition	O
of	O
promoting	O
good	O
moral	O
behavior	O
and	O
that	O
Chinese	O
citizens	O
have	O
a	O
completely	O
different	O
perspective	O
on	O
privacy	O
and	O
freedom.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
potential	O
factors	O
included	O
the	O
scale	O
and	O
variety	O
of	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
program	O
and	O
the	O
difficulties	O
of	O
comprehensive	O
reporting	O
that	O
comes	O
with	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
Rogier	O
Creemers	O
of	O
Leiden	O
University	O
stated	O
that	O
despite	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
's	O
intentions	O
of	O
utilizing	O
big	B-Application
data	I-Application
and	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
the	O
regulatory	O
method	O
of	O
SCS	O
remained	O
relatively	O
crude	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2018	O
,	O
Bing	O
Song	O
,	O
director	O
of	O
the	O
Berggruen	O
Institute	O
China	O
Center	O
,	O
posted	O
an	O
opinion	O
piece	O
in	O
The	O
Washington	O
Post	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
the	O
Western	O
media	O
and	O
institutions	O
have	O
misreported	O
the	O
details	O
and	O
mechanics	O
of	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
The	O
Diplomat	O
remarked	O
that	O
the	O
assumption	O
by	O
Western	O
observers	O
that	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
an	O
Orwellian	O
surveillance	O
system	O
exaggerates	O
the	O
reality	O
and	O
purpose	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
in	O
real	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
claim	O
,	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
is	O
"	O
an	O
extension	O
of	O
bond	O
issuance	O
risk	O
assessment	O
credit	O
ratings	O
introduced	O
in	O
China	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
"	O
and	O
primarily	O
serves	O
the	O
function	O
of	O
a	O
financial	O
risk	O
assessment	O
tool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
The	O
Washington-based	O
think	O
tank	O
The	O
Jamestown	O
Foundation	O
explored	O
the	O
function	O
of	O
the	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
there	O
're	O
widespread	O
misinterpretations	O
regarding	O
the	O
function	O
and	O
mechanism	O
of	O
the	O
SCS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
academics	O
Diana	O
Fu	O
and	O
Rui	O
Hou	O
noted	O
the	O
persistence	O
of	O
Western	O
misconceptions	O
in	O
their	O
article	O
Rating	O
Citizens	O
with	O
China	O
's	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
stating	O
,	O
"	O
Western	O
media	O
articles	O
initially	O
compared	O
the	O
system	O
to	O
an	O
episode	O
of	O
the	O
British	O
sci-fi	O
series	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
in	O
which	O
individuals	O
 '	O
every	O
day	O
behavior	O
,	O
down	O
to	O
the	O
minutiae	O
,	O
were	O
tracked	O
and	O
rated	O
by	O
other	O
people	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
big	O
brother	O
"	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
then	O
,	O
scholars	O
and	O
journalists	O
have	O
sought	O
to	O
dispel	O
this	O
dystopian	O
depiction	O
of	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
image	O
continued	O
to	O
live	O
on	O
,	O
particularly	O
after	O
the	O
Trump	O
administration	O
started	O
to	O
use	O
it	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
anti-China	O
policy	O
in	O
2017	O
and	O
2018.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
was	O
popularized	O
as	O
an	O
internet	O
meme	O
on	O
various	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VICE	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
memes	O
 '	O
popularity	O
reflects	O
the	O
"	O
widespread	O
discontent	O
toward	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
over	O
its	O
restrictions	O
of	O
people	O
's	O
freedoms	O
"	O
,	O
however	O
the	O
article	O
noted	O
the	O
trend	O
continued	O
the	O
existing	O
misapprehension	O
and	O
misinformation	O
regarding	O
the	O
SCS	O
mechanism	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
people	O
in	O
China	O
are	O
rewarded/punished	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
numerical	O
"	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
score	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
joke	O
is	O
posed	O
as	O
something	O
being	O
positive	O
or	O
negative	O
towards	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
being	O
joked	O
as	O
affecting	O
the	O
poster	O
's	O
"	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
score	I-Application
"	O
positively	O
or	O
negatively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observers	O
have	O
compared	O
this	O
to	O
China	O
's	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
although	O
Deputy	O
Prime	O
Minister	O
Maxim	O
Akimov	O
has	O
denied	O
that	O
,	O
saying	O
a	O
Chinese-style	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
is	O
a	O
"	O
threat	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
New	O
Economics	O
Foundation	O
compared	O
the	O
Chinese	O
citizen	B-Application
score	I-Application
to	O
other	O
rating	O
systems	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Social	B-Application
Credit	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
more	O
qualitative	O
and	O
relies	O
on	O
people	O
's	O
perception	O
of	O
others’	O
"	O
behaviour	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
media	O
outlets	O
have	O
compared	O
the	O
social	B-Application
credit	I-Application
system	I-Application
to	O
credit	O
scoring	O
systems	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
