So, basically, we’re all doomed. Lovely.
It looks like a Black Mirror season three episode is set to become a reality. It won’t be the first time Charlie Brooker’s show has had a prediction come to life either, as you might remember the very first episode of the anthology series ‘The National Anthem’. If you don’t, I’m not going to remind you. Trust me, it’s for the best.
Anyway, the instalment in question ‘Nosedive’ followed members of a dystopian society, each of whom is judged by a numeric rating that they are given based on their interactions with other people.
The higher your rating is, the better opportunities are afforded to you – and, vice versa.
This leads to the life of the protagonist – Lacie – falling totally apart after she gets a series of negative votes from her peers, like any normal person would in that situation.
And now a similar app is being tested out in China. Oh no. Oh dear God no. It’s happening people. This is not a drill.
A feature in Wired shed light on the new system, which is linked to the mobile payment platform Alipay and designed to test the trustworthiness of citizens.
People will reportedly be ‘scored’ between 350 (low) and 950 (high) on the app. all depending on their personal habits.
And while some of the tasks that would get you a ‘good’ rating – like donating blood or doing charity work – seem innocent enough, we’re a bit worried about some of the other ones.
People will see their number decrease if they do something bad like cancelling a reservation, leaving a dishonest review or even if they’re friends with someone ‘bad’ online.
Most concerning of all, though, is the “rewards” that people get depending on their scores.
Higher-scoring members of the public will reportedly be able to benefit from a number of things, including cheaper public transport, free gym memberships, and shorter wait at hospitals.
Those members of the public who are ranked ‘lower’ are said to experience restrictions to some hotels, restaurants and slower internet speeds.
The plans are to have the social credit rating system fully in place by 2020. This is very, very bad news for everyone out there purposely driving through puddles to splash people when it’s raining.
