China and Russia: Thinking Alike

November 1, 2023

This essay is the work of a dumb humanoid. No smart software required.

China’s authoritarian government went to a new extreme with its social credit system. The social credit system a.k.a. a social rating system assigns points to citizens based on arbitrary rules that align with the Chinese government’s ideology. If citizens have a low score, they are denied services and privileges. Gaming Deputy explains that a Russian university is following China’s example: “The Russian State Social University Is Developing A Social Rating System ‘We’.”

The Russian State Social University (RGSU) is developing a social rating system for Russian citizens called “We.” RGSU invited its students and other interested people to participate in We testing. The We social credit platform rates people on numerous factors:

“The pilot rating system will include questions about various aspects of citizens’ lives, such as education, presence of children and dependents, sources of income, benefits, credit history, criminal records, social media accounts, participation in public life, government awards, language skills (especially Chinese), commitment to sports, healthy lifestyle and so on. All these parameters will be used to determine the social status and level of each person.”

People will receive a two-digit scoring code. The first number will be an individual’s social status and the second will be their social level. In order to ensure the We system’s data is accurate, people’s TIN, passport, SNILS, and telephone will be connected. The RGSU developers claim We will be useful for banks and governors whom want to classify citizens based on their usefulness.

A social credit system might sound useful but it doesn’t take long to become a tool of nightmares. The article emphasizes that transparency, data protection, and a balance between individual rights and government interests is necessary. Does anyone actually believe the Russian government will be held accountable?

Whitney Grace, November 1, 2023

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under News, Social Media

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.