Blockchain will be used to connect provincial information silos, enabling authorities to seamlessly share social credit score data
China’s social credit system is set to be upgraded using blockchain technology. The new version aims to enable seamless data sharing across platforms and provinces, creating a more integrated national framework.
According to a report published by people.cn, the technology is called “Remin Chain” and is developed from Hangzhou’s Hyperchain platform. It will be integrated into the People’s Daily Online Public Opinion Monitoring Center, the government unit responsible for monitoring and analyzing comments made by the country’s roughly 800 million internet users.
The monitoring center is operated by the People’s Daily, a principal newspaper of the Communist Party.
Before this update, there was no nationwide social credit scoring system that explicitly linked online comments to a social credit score.
While China’s social credit system is often portrayed as more invasive than it may actually be, it does attach a form of verified identity to an individual’s online presence. This can make it easier for authorities to identify and review social media users with histories of “problematic” remarks.
Much of the existing system is managed at the provincial level on separate platforms built by different technology companies. Provinces track a wide range of data, from parking fines and local violations to utility payment history, debts, and online comments. All of this information contributes to a score assigned to each citizen.
The Remin Chain’s Super ID system intends to change that by centralizing these information silos into a national system for tracking social credit. Although the initial focus is on individual ratings, the company behind the platform has also proposed applying it to small and medium-sized enterprises. They argue that because these businesses are often overlooked by traditional lenders, a comparable social credit framework could help establish trust in their capabilities and improve their access to credit.
Proponents claim that using blockchain in this setup will help link disparate information silos and improve the overall quality and integrity of the data. However, many observers are concerned that blockchain could also increase the efficiency and reach of the Communist Party’s surveillance capabilities.
Authorities in Beijing already encourage startups and established tech firms to research and develop surveillance technologies, offering accelerator funding and subsidies to support that work. The adoption of blockchain in this context has raised caution among civil society and privacy advocates, though the full impact and direction of these initiatives remain to be seen.