Ross Clark Ross Clark

We need to act now to block Britain’s social credit system

I have to admit that I didn’t quite get it right when, 12 days ago, I wrote: ‘There is a model for what will be coming our way if we do not resist vaccination passports and electronic ID cards: China’s social credit system, which blacklists people for numerous antisocial offences, from crossing the street on a red light to failing to sort their recycling, and uses the information to deny them the right, for example, to buy rail and airline tickets.’

I had in mind that it would take two to five years for a vaccination passport scheme to morph into a Chinese-style social credit system. In fact, it took two weeks. This morning it was reported that the government is planning to introduce a health app in January which will monitor our shopping, our exercise levels, or intake of fruit and vegetables – and reward us with virtue points which we can exchange for discounts, free tickets (to what kind of event is not clear) and other goodies. Capita and Serco – the usual beneficiaries of demented government schemes – are reported to be bidding for the chance to run it.

I had in mind that it would take two to five years for a vaccination passport scheme to morph into a Chinese-style social credit system. In fact, it took two weeks

Let’s leave aside the rather obvious possibilities for fraud: just think how many virtue points you could accumulate by persuading someone else to take your phone jogging with them while you tuck into takeaway pizza which you bought with means other than your smartphone – you could enjoy your junk food and get a free pass to the all-in wrestling to boot. Just because someone has bought some kind of drink or foodstuff doesn’t mean they are going to consume it – even teetotallers can stock up on wine and beer if they are throwing a party. 

But more to the point, do we seriously want to be monitored like pieces of an industrial plant? It won’t be long, of course, before employers started demanding that their employees use the app, and to see diet and exercise history before giving someone a job.

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