Analysis by Judit Mercédesz Kálmán
This paper analyses the development of the Chinese social credit system (SCS) to examine some of the misconceptions surrounding it, particularly those that draw a parallel between the powers wielded by an Orwellian Big Brother and the power the Chinese Communist Party is said to be gaining through the use of the social credit system. The paper first explores the beginnings of the social credit system through a critical analysis of the existing literature on this project, paying special attention to pilot programmes. Then it examines how the emergency situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way the social credit system is used and what role it plays. The hypothesis the paper investigates is that on the one hand, the pandemic has contributed to the prolonged lack of nationwide application of the social credit system by becoming a much more urgent issue to be dealt with. On the other hand, it is assumed that the pandemic has assigned the existing system a greater role in public health protection and economic recovery through rapid retooling, ultimately and indirectly leading to its expansion and development, but not eliminating the challenges of its application at the national level. The findings show that the pandemic situation has marked a new era in the development of the social credit system, but Covid-19 has also delayed the emergence of a comprehensive scheme that could be applied nation-wide. Therefore, the main obstacles precluding the evolution of the SCS, including issues of interoperability, privacy, transparency, persist. This paper is by no means a complete evaluation of the social credit system, also meaning that it is not exhaustive in terms of the specific role assigned to the SCS in the broader context of digital invasive governance.
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