
Millions in China Were Barred from Transportation for Low Social Credit - ourmandave
https://jalopnik.com/millions-of-people-in-china-were-barred-from-transporta-1833012115
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abhinai
Reminds me of Airbnb and Uber review systems in some way. And those systems
always keep me on my best behavior. If the government does not abuse the
social credit system for petty things, it could become a force for the good.

~~~
chillacy
After visiting and getting cut in line enough times I was basically ready for
anything to get people to be nicer to strangers.

Another sort of weird system came about because restaurants always lied on
their tax returns, so now there are lottery tickets built into receipts:
[http://engineerinshenzhen.com/chinas-receipt-
lottery/](http://engineerinshenzhen.com/chinas-receipt-lottery/)

~~~
FindMySocks
Have seen that being done in a long time here. I don't think they've done this
or the last 4 years.

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firstplacelast
Citizen of the United States of America gets job offer revoked due to poor
credit. We aren't any better.

[https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/awmvre/50k...](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/awmvre/50k_in_debt_accepted_an_offer_at_a_higher_paying/)

~~~
nvahalik
This is absolutely a different story. This is the government not allowing you
to travel around a country because they don’t like you.

This person can still get a job somewhere else. He can still go visit his
family wherever they are. The government isn’t stopping him from living his
life just because of some “social score”.

~~~
anoncake
> This person can still get a job somewhere else.

You don't know more about the person's situation than the person himself.

> He can still go visit his family wherever they are.

As long as "wherever they are" means "somewhere he can go by foot".

> The government isn’t stopping him from living his life just because of some
> “social score”.

No, the invisible hand of the market is stopping him from living his life
because of his negative "money score".

~~~
nvahalik
> You don't know more about the person's situation than the person himself.

Considering he had a job somewhere else, obviously he is employable.

> As long as "wherever they are" means "somewhere he can go by foot".

Or people can come pick him up. Family can buy him a bus ticket. Friends can
give him a ride.

> No, the invisible hand of the market is stopping him from living his life
> because of his negative "money score".

Nonsense. It might be limiting his ability to live his life in a way that is
comfortable/convenient, but it is not prohibiting him in a way that actually
limits his personal freedom.

~~~
anoncake
> Considering he had a job somewhere else, obviously he is employable.

I'm sure there are ways for them to improve their situation, but I'm also sure
there are ways to improve your social credit. It would make for a bad
incentive if not.

> Or people can come pick him up. Family can buy him a bus ticket. Friends can
> give him a ride.

Restrictions exerted by the market are easier to bypass than China's social
score system, but nevertheless they exist.

> Nonsense. It might be limiting his ability to live his life in a way that is
> comfortable/convenient, but it is not prohibiting him in a way that actually
> limits his personal freedom.

Limiting someone's ability to live their life in the way they desire is what
limiting their personal freedom is.

~~~
nvahalik
> Restrictions exerted by the market are easier to bypass than China's social
> score system, but nevertheless they exist.

You're still talking about a massive difference. People in China can be
expressly forbidden from, say, staying in a Hotel in any particular town,
simply because they are on some "list" somewhere that they don't control. And
the government then exerts pressure on others to not be associated with those
people. Again, we're talking about something categorically different than
"market restrictions."

> Limiting someone's ability to live their life in the way they desire is what
> limiting their personal freedom is.

I believe this is fundamentally a worldview issue, but the truth is that we as
humans aren't completely autonomous. We are restricted in numerous different
ways. We can't go too deep in the ocean. We can't go more than say, 15k feet
above sea level without assistance. We can't buy top-of-the-line Teslas unless
we can afford it.

Being unable to travel, buy, or move around the way someone wants to isn't a
limitation of personal freedom. It's a restriction on their environment. Now,
if you had the money to do those things but someone forbade you, then I'd be
in agreement. If we define "personal freedom" simply by what one can buy or
experience, then we are in a situation in which people will never be able to
find true freedom.

