Blacklisted In China : Planet Money : NPR

China is trying a bold experiment. The government wants to make it easier for people to trust each other. They are creating something known as a social credit score.

This would be a nationwide system, similar to an American credit score, but that stretches deep into all kinds of areas of public and private life. It involves tracking, monitoring and sometimes shaming people who break rules and default on debts.

Today on the show, our friends at The Indicator explore China’s new social credit system; we meet a man trapped on a blacklist, prevented from traveling freely, and he finds his picture looming over him on a billboard of shame. Also, we learn why many citizens like this system. They’re grateful for how it improves daily life in small ways.

Music: “Edge Of Fear” and “Foolish.”