{"id":12539,"date":"2019-08-02T11:18:29","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T11:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/?p=12539"},"modified":"2023-10-23T17:36:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T16:36:23","slug":"uber-seems-to-think-social-scoring-the-way-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/uber-seems-to-think-social-scoring-the-way-of-the-future","title":{"rendered":"Uber seems to think social scoring is the way of the future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are we moving closer to adopting a social score system like China\u2019s? It\u2019s not as far-fetched as the idea sounds.<\/span><\/h2>\n

China\u2019s Social Score system<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Chinese state rewards citizens for performing actions it deems positive, and punishes them for doing anything it frowns upon, by adding or removing points on their social score. The programme will be nation-wide by 2020, but according to <\/span>Business Insider<\/span><\/a>, millions are already being scored on their behaviour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Great! Some may think. It sounds like a terrific way to create a harmonious, well-mannered society. Well, while citizens get scores deducted for things like bad driving, they also get points taken away for \u201cposting fake news online\u201d (who defines the validity of the news?) and \u201cbuying too many video games\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what happens if your score is low? The Chinese government can – and has already started – banning people from travelling by plane and train. It will also throttle your internet speed if it judges that you\u2019ve been playing that online game for too long. Sounds like an episode of Black Mirror to me!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Business Insider lists other punishments too, such as barring people from \u201ctop jobs\u201d and preventing kids from attending the best schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The city of Jinan introduced point deductions for owners whose dogs \u201ccaused disturbances\u201d or who were caught walking their dog without a lead. If their points dip low enough, the city confiscates the dog and makes the owner pass a test on regulation to get it back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Could something similar be introduced in western countries?<\/b><\/h3>\n

At the moment, western countries are more likely to look for ways to reward and positively reinforce people for behaving in beneficial ways. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n