Modern Technology has its benefits for the everyday citizen, but what happens when a government utilizes that same technology against the average ordinary person?
China has spent millions of dollars and hundreds of working hours developing the most invasive ‘credit’ system in the world. The system derives its data from each of China’s 1.4 billion people, diving deep into their everyday, mundane activities.
China’s Social Credit System maintains a list, and if your name is on that list good luck booking a flight or attempting to enroll your child into a private school, that’s according to a Chinese Journalist, Liu Hu, who is on the ‘Blacklist’ and cannot conduct those as mentioned earlier.
Mr. Hu continues that because he is on the list; “I can’t buy property.” he said. “You feel you’re being controlled by the list all the time.”
Worryingly, China has ramped up its prosecution and persecution of Christians especially in the Henan Province. China aims to create a state-sanctioned form of Christianity.
Through the process, China has detained thousands, disbanded hundreds of house-churches, and demolished several State-sanctioned churches, and that’s without the Social Credit system.
While the rule of law maintains order within a society, the distortion of such results in horrific Human Rights abuses and such is evidenced by History, especially in regards to China.
Under Mao Zedong, roughly one hundred million perished because of the Communist system of governance. Currently, in China, the President of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping, has garnered similar controls over the populace and dispatched similar tactics.
However, what Mao did not have in his ranks was the ability to monitor each citizen, every single day. Mr. Jinping, on the other hand, has the ability because of the social credit system.
The Social Credit System works because of Artificial Intelligence, the AI that powers the system works by identifying individuals through facial recognition or by social media postings, and or by regular activities.
If a citizen engages in something that the government deems disloyal, such as voicing an opposing opinion about a policy implemented by the government. Or if a citizen commits a crime, or even buys a product that is not made in China, and or participates in a non-government sanctioned Bible Study the citizen is then pinged by the system and added to a list.
That list, as evidenced by Liu Hu, controls your life. Learn more about the Social Credit System in this report; The Destruction of China- Xi’s Communism leading to Technocratic Takeover and New World Order
However, regardless of the nation, globally, the data which any government could use exists because of private sector conglomerates like Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple, and so on. In the United States, regulation is in place to thwart the government from abusing the rights of people on a broad scale.
For example, the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution reads; “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Technology Conglomerates can use the data their users generate for purposes deemed appropriate by their respective departments, because as of April 2018, those companies are only required to police themselves. Do you think that technology companies should be regulated to keep their user’s data secure? Let us know in the comments.
Reach out to your local representatives and voice your concerns.