China to Issue Credit Score to Measure How Obedient You Are

Despite being rocketed into the modern world over the past 30 years, China’s Communist Party has been able to maintain a closed society by heavily regulating the media and the internet. They have a pretty firm grip on what their population is allowed to see and hear. They can censor any website, and they employ thousands of paid shills to influence every political conversation on the net.

However, these efforts may soon be dwarfed by an insidious new program. Soon, the government won’t need to lift a finger to cajole compliance in the population. They’ve introduced Sesame Credit, which could best be compared to the credit score we all have in the West. Instead of measuring your fiscal compliance though, this will measure your obedience to the state, by tracking what you say on social media and even what products you buy. In simpler terms, it’s a game that determines how good of a citizen you are, and compares your score to that of your peers. But unlike a game, it’s going to be mandatory for everyone in China by 2020.

To truly grasp how horrifying and effective this system will be, check out the video below. It explains how Sesame Credit is using psychology, social pressure, and the mechanics that are commonly used in video games, to essentially turn obedience into something playful and fun.