Social Credit System

[Photos] What I saw at Tiananmen in 1989 before I was shot (Part 1)

Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao recounts a pivotal time in his life and world history, tracing back the events surrounding his near-fatal gunshot wound to the neck as a young journalist during the 1989 Tiananmen incident.

Hsu Chung-mao

15 Jun 2026

Can China's social credit system be replicated in Vietnam?

The West and certain countries in Asia have very different perceptions of the use of big data and AI to monitor its population and even build a social credit system. French academic Nicolas Lainez reviews China's social credit system and discusses the possibility of Vietnam adopting it to strengthen the government's control over society. However, he says the political risks may outweigh its benefits.

Nicolas Lainez

23 Dec 2020

Is China becoming the world's most sophisticated surveillance regime?

China will be implementing the social credit system in 2020. Seen as a form of mass surveillance build on big data technology, many are concerned that this will threaten human autonomy and aggravate human rights issues. Will China become the world's most sophisticated surveillance regime? Bram Barclay discusses this through the book "The age of surveillance capitalism".

Bram Barclay

17 Oct 2019