Permanently Deleted
the reality of the “social credit” system was massively overstated in western media outlets.
You’re right, but there’s still a lot of bad present in the implementation that many regional governments use. My criticisms are all of the present system. Two things I take particular issue with:
- social credit rewards for reporting those practicing Muslim rituals like prayer facing mecca and practicing Ramadan
- better access to loans and jobs for those with higher social credit
In Xinjiang, monetary rewards are routinely offered to those who provide information to authorities about Uighurs’ religious practices. An April 2014 notice posted on a government website in Aksu Prefecture explained that informants could receive up to 50,000 yuan ($8,000) for reporting on local residents who engage in any of 53 kinds of proscribed behaviour. The list included 18 acts related to religion, such as praying in a public place, holding the Islamic Nikah wedding ceremony, or fasting during Ramadan. In Tibet, officials have offered monetary rewards of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,500) for information on monks associated with a self-immolation or other acts of dissent.
It’s Hong Kong Free Press, so take it with a grain of salt, but this information simply will not be reported from a pro-China publication so this is as good as it’ll probably get.
And I also want to stress that because of the fragmented nature of the implementation of the social credit system, I do not think that most of China faces issues like this, just isolated regions.
