Unpacking China's social credit system: Informatization, regulatory framework, and market dynamics

Abstract

Background: China, with a population of 802 million internet users, a handful of the world's largest internet companies, and an unfolding Social Credit System (SCS), is often criticized for exerting its data power to surveil and discipline its population. Analysis: This article first provides a historical and situated analysis of the SCS as a part of China's informatization and datafication processes. It then highlights problems in the current legal and regulatory data-protection framework and discusses the self-regulation practices of the private sector. Conclusions and implications Overall, this case study provides a historical and contextualized understanding of China's SCS and related big data developments and assesses the implications of these development for the globalizing Chinese internet, technology companies and the Chinese public.