The Founding Fathers’ “innocent until proven guilty” justice system is being upended as far-left companies and cities look for ways to bring China’s totalitarian social credit system to the United States.
Under soon-to-be-implemented rules, individuals could lose access to Airbnb, WhatsApp, Uber and even local restaurants and bars based on a single comment from a person with an axe to grind. Regaining access would be a tedious, and most likely unsuccessful process as the company that cut off an individual in the first place would have sole discretion regarding whether or not to allow such an individual to regain access to the app, business place, or marketplace in question.
The ultra-liberal New York State stated earlier in 2019 that a person’s life insurance premiums could be based on information that found on a buyer’s social media profiles. If, for instance, the company thinks a person doesn’t get enough exercise, that person would have to pay extra in life insurance costs. Premiums could also be jacked up for people who post photos of themselves smoking, drinking, or engaging in dangerous sports activities.
However, it isn’t just people who live in liberal cities who will be affected by a liberal companies’ decision to monitor and punish (or reward) certain activities. Uber, which is used throughout the nation, recently announced a new plan that would allow its drivers to rate passengers. A driver could complain about a passenger for just about any reason and, if a number of drivers make the same or a similar complaint, the passenger in question would be banned from Uber.
Airbnb took matters a step further, stating that users could be banned on the basis of a single complaint by a renter. Such a complaint could be based on something that happened or even didn’t happen, as Airbnb would naturally have no way to verify the accusation.
PatronScan is yet another tool that can be used to discriminate against people based on real or perceived offenses. It is used by a variety of restaurants and bars throughout the United States and enables the owners of various eateries to share information about people who they consider to be “bad customers.” A person who is labeled as a “bad customer” can be banned by any bar that uses the system; furthermore, a person whose name has been blacklisted by the system stays blacklisted for up to a year.
It should be noted that there are a couple of important differences between China’s social credit system and the social credit system emerging in the United States. Unlike China, the new “social credit system” is powered not by the federal government, but by private corporations with a hidden agenda. Unfortunately, this makes the system even more enduring than it would have been otherwise, as elite company owners cannot be voted out by the general public.
Thankfully, a system of centralized scoring hasn’t reached the United States. However, that doesn’t mean that it could never happen. Progressive activists and even politicians have been routinely exposing the names and private information of companies and individuals that support conservative causes in the hopes of having these individuals harassed, boycotted or fired from their jobs. Let’s face it — we’re not too far away from Chinese-style tyranny.
