Fans of the science fiction series Black Mirror will be familiar with the terrifying episode Nosedive, which sees a social media obsessed society rating people out of five after every single interaction.
People's public ratings can dictate where they can live, who they can be friends with and how they can travel.
Scary stuff!
The episode is a rude awakening as to what happens when social media goes too far and starts affecting everything that we do.
Thankfully for us, the episode is mere fiction - however, the digital nightmare could become a reality for people in China.
The Chinese government is building a social credit rating to test the trustworthiness of its citizens. Currently, there are plans to implement the system fully by 2020, although it is already in place in Suzhou city.
Every person begins with 100 points on their ID card or social media, and their number will go up when they do good deeds like donating blood, charity work, recycling or weirdly... by sending positive messages about the country on social media.
However, if citizens do something bad such as a cancel a reservation, leave a dishonest review - or more worryingly, if they're friends with someone 'bad' on social media - their points will go down.
As a reward for being 'good', high-scoring members of public may benefit from cheaper public transport, free gym memberships, and even shorter waiting times in hospitals.
Low-scoring people may face travel restrictions, restricted access into certain restaurants and even slower internet speeds.
The rating system had drastic consequences for Lacie. Could they have similar effects on the lives of the people of China?
