Chinese subway passengers with good ‘social credit scores’ will be let on first ahead of those deemed ‘bad’ for offences such as eating on a train
- Beijing plans to roll out ‘fast pass’ system across its subways, officials say
- People with good social credit scores will be allowed to skip security checks
- Officials say they are drawing up a ‘code of conduct’ for people to follow
- ‘Offences’ will including eating on trains and carrying prohibited items
Beijing will use China’s social credit system to allow ‘good’ passengers on to its subway trains ahead of those deemed ‘bad’.
The system will give those with high scores access to a ‘fast pass’ that will allow them to skip mandatory security checks and board train faster, officials said.
Beijing said it is developing a ‘code of conduct’ that passengers must adhere to in order to qualify for the fast pass, with ‘uncivilised behaviour’ such as eating on trains and carrying prohibited items punished.
Beijing subway passengers with good social credit scores will be allowed to skip mandatory security checks and board trains faster, officials have announced
Xie Yongjiang, head of internet management and legislation research at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunication, told state-run newspaper Global Times that the system aims to ‘inspire social trust and improve governance’.
The newspaper said a similar system has been in place in the city of Guangzhou, home to some 15million people, since 2018.
Beijing’s Fuchengmen station has also been trialling the system since 2019, the Times said.
But new plans call for the idea to be rolled out across Beijing’s entire subway network, which serves around 12million people each week.
China has been working on its social credit system since at least 2014, envisioning a nationwide database that ranks each citizen according to their behaviour.
The system is designed to reward ‘good’ citizens with perks such as discounts when shopping, and access to better services – while ‘bad’ citizens would be punished, with examples including bans from trains and planes.
Each person’s ‘rank’ is determined by their behaviour in four areas – administrative affairs, commercial activities, social behavior, and the judicial system.
Subway bosses say they are developing a ‘code of conduct’ for passengers to follow, with offences including eating on a train or carrying prohibited items
Examples of ‘bad’ behaviour include failing to pay bills, racking up parking tickets, ‘maliciously’ switching jobs, and social nuisance behaviour such as playing music too loudly in public.
Advocates say the system brings together already-existing data such as court records and credit scores into one, integrated system.
But critics say the system is Orwellian in its scope and power, lacks transparency and accountability, and represents a terrifying attempt by the state to interfere in the daily lives of ordinary citizens.
Opponents also point out that it will likely be abused by authorities in Beijing – who are notoriously hard on dissent – to crack down on political opponents and deprive those who oppose them of the freedoms of daily life.
China had planned to complete a trial period for the system in 2020, but amid the pandemic has yet to announce plans for how it will be rolled out nationwide.
Beijing’s subway scheme forms part of the ‘trial period’ while authorities determine how best to use the system in future.