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submitted 4 months ago by 0x815@feddit.org to c/technology@lemmy.world

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/536301

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The Russia’s State Social University (RSSU) has launched a “social rating” platform that claims to build a person’s “social portrait” with possible applications in future government policies.

Named “We,” the platform promises to determine a user’s comparative “social status” based on a survey that includes questions about income, family status, benefits, creditworthiness, criminal record, lifestyle and state awards, among others.

“The social rating figures don’t affect [a person’s] life, the availability of services or the career trajectory in any way,” RSSU said on the platform’s website. “But who knows what these figures will mean for you in the future?”

Observers on social media compared the platform’s name “We” to the highly influential 1921 dystopian novel of the same name by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin. [The novel "We" describes a world of harmony and conformity within a united totalitarian state. It inspired British author George Orwell to write his own novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four", which was published in 1949.]

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[-] Dragomus@lemmy.world 124 points 4 months ago

Well this sounds a bit familiar...

Next step is adding a scoring system with penalties for certain behavior and it will be quite similar to the social system that is rolling out in China...

[-] Eric_Pollock@lemmy.dbzer0.com 108 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Observers on social media compared the platform’s name “We” to the highly influential 1921 dystopian novel of the same name by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin.

They actually couldn't choose a different name than the novel that was written specifically about this very dystopian subject? Did they use it as inspiration? Because that seems more than coincidence...

[-] paris 143 points 4 months ago
[-] fluxion@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago

Weibo and WeChat hide

[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It's a blocking method. If 90% of the people who search a term are looking for the social platform it becomes much harder to find the book. Think of it like trying to find archival news articles about a perennial topic. You have to wade through all the recent shit and then there's 2 hits from the time period you're checking.

[-] cupcakezealot 84 points 4 months ago

The social rating figures don’t affect [a person’s] life, the availability of services or the career trajectory in any way

unless you're gay...

[-] el_abuelo@lemmy.ml 37 points 4 months ago

There are no gay people in Russia.

[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 9 points 4 months ago

shoots gun

Not anymore

[-] barsquid@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Then what are they for? Like the government just puts up a leaderboard and leaves it at that.

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 64 points 4 months ago

This is literally the plot for a Black Mirror episode.

[-] themurphy@lemmy.ml 77 points 4 months ago

This is literally the plot for *China.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 21 points 4 months ago

From. Nosedive to be specific.

[-] Infynis@midwest.social 13 points 4 months ago

I think for was actually the right word choice there, because Black Mirror in no way came up with the concept

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[-] pyre@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

or, for an example with better writing, a Community episode

[-] souperk@reddthat.com 41 points 4 months ago

They made meow meow beans?

[-] FutileRecipe@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago

They've taken everything subjective and unspoken about human interaction and reduced it to explicit, objective numbers. I've never felt so alive.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago

Cool.

Cool cool cool.

[-] Scolding7300@lemmy.world 38 points 4 months ago

I see the North Korea visit was pretty useful

[-] ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk 35 points 4 months ago

“The social rating figures don’t affect [a person’s] life, the availability of services or the career trajectory in any way,” RSSU said on the platform’s website. “But who knows what these figures will mean for you in the future?”

Well that's a relief...

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago

When was the last time an entity that generated stats about someone didn’t end up with those stats being used to the detriment of the individual - or at the very least for the profit of another?

[-] Blackmist@feddit.uk 4 points 4 months ago

There was me thinking it could be used for something sinister.

[-] Freefall@lemmy.world 28 points 4 months ago

Let's see how the Make Russia China campaign goes!

[-] Deway@lemmy.world 24 points 4 months ago

I give this news 5 MeowMeowBeenz.

[-] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 22 points 4 months ago

You can see why all the M-Ls on this site want Russia to win their fascist invasion. Clearly the Revolution lives.

[-] barsquid@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Some .ml fellas can explain that this is good, actually. Oil oligarch kleptocracy with murdering political opponent characteristics is one of the most leftist governments possible, so everything they do is good.

[-] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Russia can into tinpot dictator.

[-] Gsus4@programming.dev 13 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Named “We,” the platform promises to determine a user’s comparative “social status” based on a survey that includes questions about income, family status, benefits, creditworthiness, criminal record, lifestyle and state awards, among others.

Criminal record: putin's scoreboard of excellency https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3174724/russias-putin-decorates-army-unit-accused-ukraine-war-crimes

How many putinpoints do they get for using a 3 to 13million$ Kh-101 cruise missile to bomb a children's hospital chemo ward?

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 months ago

approximately the same thing an idf soldier gets for doing the same thing.

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[-] themurphy@lemmy.ml 11 points 4 months ago

So the credit score system in the US, but more?

[-] FiskFisk33@startrek.website 27 points 4 months ago

How many hoops did you have to jump through to land at that comparison?

[-] verity_kindle@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 months ago

Nah. Troll trap. No fun.

[-] uis@lemm.ee 11 points 4 months ago

Putinism as it is. Oligarchy and survailance.

[-] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago

Seems like RSSU is fishing for the government's money.

It's probably very badly implemented and doesn't work as described. In a sense this is good, but my point stands.

[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 4 months ago

I sure hope you're right on it not working properly, for the common russkies' sake

[-] CriticalMiss@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago

The devs of this planet are lazy and rehashing content.

[-] Hildegarde@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Russia now has a social credit system just like china and also the united states

[-] tudor@lemmy.world 53 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

You see, in the States, your credit score is an indication of how likely you are to be responsible and comply with the terms of a loan or other bank-related contract. If you have a low score, you don’t get a loan, because the bank sees you as a risk that you will not give their money back. You can still live your life normally, even with a low score, and possibly even rebuild your score over time. Only what you do with money influences your credit score.

In China, the social credit score is an indication of how loyal you are to the regime. A low social credit score, which is earned by disrespecting the regime or not following the silliest of laws, forbids you from using public transport, buying stuff, or getting education.

You can’t miss that contrast.

[-] DRStamm@lemmy.world 24 points 4 months ago

While you're right that there's a vast difference between a credit score and a social credit score, I would argue that the US credit score system does have a bigger impact on one's life than just not being able to get a loan. It is used to deny housing and employment and makes purchases more expensive due to higher payback rates. Since so much of our economy is built on consumer spending without the needed growth in wages over the last fifty or so years, some kind of personal debt is needed especially for people with low incomes who have to cover essentials one way or the other. It creates a self-reinforcing spiral that keeps poor people poor.

Things have improved here and there with the CFPB and some anti-discrimination ordinances at the local level, but it's hardly enough to narrow the effect as you described. Heck, it took us until the Biden administration to propose to ban medical debt from affecting credit scores.

In both cases, these scoring systems are part of a suite of incentives to get people to play by the rules of the power structures that exist: social credit for national authoritarians hierarchies and TransEquiSperiFax for the authority of capitalist hierarchies.

Again, you're not completely wrong and I don't want to claim that one system is anywhere close to being as pernicious as the other, but the US system not quite so harmless as you say. Sorry for making this so US-centric but that's where I have the most perspective.

[-] Dkarma@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

And yet you still try to conflate the two... interesting.

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[-] RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 4 months ago

Every banking system has some kind of credit score. Social scoring is what's relatively new and has to keep us on edge because also governments of mostly free societies have a natural interest in such systems.

[-] verity_kindle@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

Indeed, thank you for some lucidity.

[-] TheDeepState@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago
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[-] uebquauntbez@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

New feature is ... Putin has 0 points and is the goal to go to?

[-] dumblederp@aussie.zone 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

We've already got personal wealth as a social credit system pretty much everywhere.

[-] uis@lemm.ee 2 points 4 months ago

Best explaination of why Putinism as bad as capitalism.

[-] nikaaa@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

so, Facebook?

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this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2024
502 points (100.0% liked)

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