Seeing Like an Authoritarian State
It is analytically problematic and perhaps amoral to proceed as if the Social Credit System concept is a purely technocratic initiative that exists at some metaphysical separation from the regime that spawned it.
Articles for tag: Autoritarismus, China, Sozialkreditsystem
The Docile Minds of Perfect Societies
I ardently oppose the use of surveillance mechanisms in regulating the relationship between individuals and governance structures. As a result of three interrelated dynamics, rather than creating ‘perfect’ citizens, social credit systems are more likely to create calculated and passive subjects.
Social Reproduction and Social Credit Apparatuses
John Cheney-Lippold removes China from the analysis. Abstracting a social credit system allows him to ask more general questions: What do all social credit systems purportedly want? And most importantly: What is the 'social' in social credit?
Treating China as a ‘Normal’ Country
This blog post suggests that it is preferable to regard China's Social Credit Systems as a specific instance of a wider phenomenon. In this respect, China may be considered as a 'normal country' experimenting with rating-based forms of governance.
Rewarding Virtuous Citizens
The Chinese Social Credit System, in particular as presented by Western media, is widely seen as the height of technological dystopia. But is that intuition well founded? Wessel Reijers has sought to identify features that he takes to justify a rejection of the Chinese Social Credit System but forgoes an equally critical consideration of the alternatives. Relying on the market, the default solution of Western societies, is not obviously more just.
How to Make the Perfect Citizen?
The Chinese Social Credit System gets easily likened to dystopian science fiction scenarios in the West, which at least in part seems to be related to the authoritarian character of the Chinese state. But we should assess the Social Credit System in its own right, asking: is the implementation of a Social Credit System leading to a dystopian political system?
From Defensive to Assertive: China’s White Paper on Human Rights
On December 12th 2018 the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China (PRC) published a white paper (WP) titled ‘Progress in Human Rights over the 40 Years of Reform and Opening Up in China.’ The paper, which seems to be targeting more foreign audience than a domestic one, reflects upon the progress China has made in the field of human rights since Deng Xiaoping’s liberalization and opening up reforms that began in 1978.
Google vs. China
Googles Entscheidung, nicht mehr mit den chinesischen Zensurbehörden zu kooperieren, elektrisiert. Und zwar nicht nur, weil wir alle den Chinesen Informationsfreiheit und den chinesischen Zensoren die Pest an den Hals wünschen. Natürlich ist es ein aufregendes Spektakel, wenn sich ein globaler Corporate-Gigant mit dem vor ökonomischer Kraft berstenden Riesenstaat anlegt. Das hat etwas von King Kong vs. Godzilla. Oder Wal gegen Riesenkrake. Der eigentlich spannende Punkt ist aber ein anderer: vielleicht sehen wir gerade die erste große Auseinandersetzung zwischen einem Multinationalen Konzern und einem Staat in Form eines Handelskrieges, was noch öfters im 21. Jahrhundert passieren könnte, schreibt Markus Beckedahl. ... continue reading
