Cheating in exams is among the additions to China’s Social Credit System that Nanjing has chosen to implement in the localised version of the now infamous nationwide initiative that rewards citizens’ integrity and punishes dishonesty in the form of a credit rating.
Nanjing’s Social Credit System went into force today, 1 July, 2020. At a press conference held by the Standing Committee of the Nanjing Municipal People’s Congress on 29 June, the full list of heinous crimes that will see points deducted from citizen’s records was revealed.
More than 2 years in the making, the “Nanjing Social Credit Regulations” are able to punish drunk driving, physical attacks on medical personnel, fraudulent social security, academic misconduct, cheating in exams, plagiarism and defamation of heroes.
Well aware of the negative attention the Social Credit System has attracted, both at home and abroad, Nanjing’s authorities were keen that the Regulations set up a special chapter to protect the rights and interests of credit subjects. Therein, the scope and application of collected personal information is clarified, while it is emphasised that the legitimate rights and interests of credit subjects must be safeguarded and personal privacy not violated.
The regulations also forbid the collection of personal information as to religious beliefs, genes, fingerprints, blood types, diseases, medical history and other identity-based information.
In addition, Nanjing has took the nationwide lead in stipulating that minor incidents of dishonesty can be exempt from punishment; relevant departments are to compile a list of exemptions, reports The Paper.
Speaking at the press conference, Ma Qiaosheng, Director of the Budget Working Committee of the Standing Committee of the Nanjing Municipal People’s Congress, said, “Loss of trust is no longer a personal ethical issue, but a social issue that increases costs, generates transactional disputes and restricts the market vitality of economic activities”.
It has been widely reported that, under China’s Social Credit System, individuals with good credit will receive preferential treatment, in areas such as transportation, cultural and tourism consumption, financial credit, public parking and medical treatment. On the other hand, those whose credit rating drops below a certain threshold may, for example, find them barred from buying tickets for China’s high-speed trains.
However, less widely known is the fact that it is not just individuals who need monitor their degree of honesty on display; all kinds of organisations need also be watchful of their performance. Trustworthy enterprises shall enjoy a simplification in administrative procedures, leading to reductions in both cost and time, ease of access to credit applications and construction permits, as well as other benefits.
China’s new Social Credit System has been out of the headlines for a while. Given western media’s appetite for all things negative about China, it’s unlikely that Nanjing rolling out a localised version, addressing city residents’ concerns over privacy that make it not fundamentally far different from credit rating systems in other countries, will garner many column inches abroad.
