China’s social credit system (SCS) was announced in 2014 and has been focused on its citizens. Back then it announced plans to combine data from local police, banks, government agencies and big technology companies to give every citizen a personal score. The scheme drew comparisons with dystopian science fiction novels such as George Orwell’s 1984 and TV programs such as Netflix’s Black Mirror. The system has been used to block millions of Chinese citizens from booking train or plane tickets for “social offences”. Offences range from not paying fines or taking drugs to not walking a dog on a leash...