(IntegrityTimes.com) – China’s social credit score system for their citizens is an ever-increasing interest to the rest of the world. While there have been world leaders of sometimes very different political leanings that have praised the system, regular people consider it invasive, overly controlling and cruel. In China a person can be denied access to travel, enrollment in certain schools, lose out on business opportunities or jobs, and may face harsher punishments for any legal infractions than other citizens. Scores are assigned based on a complex and confusing system that often leaves people with little understanding and no recourse.
In some ways, however, the social credit score concept is already being used worldwide in less comprehensive ways. In America though, where freedom and liberty are held in high esteem, there is a deep distrust for such controlling and easy to manipulate systems. Florida House Bill 989 is considered by many to be a strike against systems of social credit scores being used in America. Among other parts of the bill, there are also provisions to provide recourse to customers who believe they have been unfairly targeted by financial institutions.
However, a letter from the Treasury Department indicated their belief that preventing banks from investigating and making judgement on their customers based on their findings is a danger to national security. The letter claims that without this mechanism at their disposal banks would be party to international drug trafficking, terrorism, and money laundering. Proponents of the bill say it prevents banks from engaging in partisan politics and discriminating against consumers based on religious or political affiliations.
The Treasury’s letter states that banks are not allowed to discriminate based on customer’s political affiliations or their business sector. In her response to this assertion, a spokeswoman for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis referenced the “ESG agenda”. Some may not realize, but ESG or Environmental, Social, and Governance refers to plans endorsed by the United Nations with multi-faceted environmental, social and political guidelines. Many businesses and financial organizations are already using ESG as part of their overall decision matrix. While national security is always of vital importance, allowing discrimination based on political fealty to the United Nations agenda is tyranny.
Copyright 2024, IntegrityTimes.com
