One of the most controversial issues to emerge in the Information Age is the concept of data-mining – the systematic collection, organization, and analysis of consumer information to find patterns and relationships. Whether it’s something as harmless as Netflix suggesting a new show based on what you watch the most, or as impacting as companies conducting social media screenings before hiring employees, data collection makes it all possible. As one of the largest growing job fields, with an 89.9% increase from 2013 – 2014 alone, “big data” (data analysis, data acquisition, data mining, and data structures) is beginning to shape the future of the 21^st century.

Although there’s not much information currently available, government authorities in China are developing a “social credit” system for “carrying forward sincerity and traditional virtues,” “encouraging trust,” “raising the overall competitiveness of the country,” and “stimulating … the progress of civilization” according to a statement published by China’s State Council. In what appears to be a Frankenstein-monster styled abomination, the social credit system will combine a FICO-style credit score with school, employment, and criminal records to effectively “rank” citizens. With no way to opt-out of the system, many political activists fear this will further the notion of an Orwellian state. Hu Jia, a political activist currently under house arrest for his stance on issues such as the Tiananmen Square massacre and environmental protection stated that “My friends and I joke that we are no longer in a police state, but a police empire.” Businesses actively encourage the sharing of this new experimental score as well, with China’s largest matchmaking service, Baihe, teaming up to promote clients with good credit scores – giving them spots with more traffic on their site. Alibaba, the company in control of 80% of China’s online shopping market, even offers special perks to customers sporting a 750+ score (scores range from 450 to 950, anything above 700 is considered great) like rental car and hotel room bookings without a cash deposit. Their cooperation with the Chinese government even allows for things like express security screening lanes at some of Beijing’s most prominent airports.

Sesame is the company behind the entire concept, and is jointly run by Tencent (most Americans might recognize Tencent as the owner of the explosively popular video game League of Legends) and Alibaba, which, combined, own all of China’s social networks. Posting images and links in-line with party ideology will net you some Sesame Credit points, but once you begin sharing information about controversial issues such as the recent Chinese market crash, you’ll lose points. This, combined with the fact that your score influences your friend’s and family’s scores, and vice versa, shows just how far-reaching the system goes. At any point you can check your score, and Sesame Credit will point out who in your circle of friends is dragging down or raising your score, given that it’s connected to every social network you could possibly be part of. Though there are currently no penalties for a low score, the council is debating ideas such as lower internet speeds or restricted job opportunities for low-scoring citizens once the system is finished. Consumption, however, is where the issue becomes even more worrisome. Li Yingyun, Sesame’s technology director, told the Chinese magazine Caixin that “Someone who plays video games for 10 hours a day, for example, would be considered an idle person, and someone who frequently buys diapers would be considered as probably a parent, who on balance is more likely to have a sense of responsibility.” Buying domestic products would raise your score, whereas purchasing foreign imports such as Japanese anime similarly lowers your score.

Though the picture seems grim, many remain optimistic about the new metrics. Wen Quan, a prominent technology and finance blogger explained that “Many people don’t own houses, cars, or credit cards in China, so that kind of information isn’t available to measure.” Without such a system in place, minor crimes committed in one province might be very difficult if not impossible to track in other regions. The previous physical system of Dang’an did little to combat the problem, as many remarked that the physical files never transferred when they moved; many rural citizens didn’t even have a Dang’an file! With a new digital system, officials are hoping to prevent business fraud and other rampant corruption in the expanding country. Current beta testers seem to share this optimism for a social credit future, with many even playing with an app to guess whether they have a higher or lower ranking than their friends – encouraging open sharing of personal scores. As there are currently no downsides to having a low score, these opt-in testers are reaping the rewards of being “loyal” citizens. For better or worse, China estimates to have the system in place by 2020, at which point every citizen within Chinese borders will be automatically opted-in with no chance of not participating.