China Social Credit System: Technology as a Tool of Surveillance and Persuasion

Abstract

In the context of today’s growing concerns over the implementation of cultural, social and technological rating systems worldwide and particularly in western liberal democracies, this article provides a critical analysis of the state of development and implementation of China’s SCS, including its local and commercial pilots; further, it employs Bentham’s panopticon model and Fogg’s gamification framework to assess the potential for the SCS to be used as a tool of surveillance and persuasion. In doing so, the article fills a gap in the (limited) literature on the SCS and offers an overview of the potential consequences that might arise from the application of technology to strengthen social governance and minimize the disruption of government’s legitimacy.