What is the social credit system? Thanks for asking! 

With a population of 1.4 billion inhabitants and a surface area 39 times larger than that of the UK, China has seen mass surveillance systems rolled out in recent decades. 

Take video surveillance and facial recognition for example, with over 600 million security cameras throughout the country. Or the controlling and censorship of the country’s most popular social network WeChat. And now the Chinese authorities are taking this to the next level, with the social credit system that evaluates citizens’ behaviour and perceived trustworthiness.

It’s the brainchild of Lin Junyue, a researcher from Beijing who took inspiration from the American insurance system. The original idea was to verify the solvency of individuals and companies, but it has evolved a great deal since.

So how does the system work? It sounds like Black Mirror or 1984! Aren’t the country’s laws enough? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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