China Bans 23 Million From Buying Travel Tickets as Part of 'Social Credit' System

China blocked 23 million 'discredited' travelers from buying plane or train tickets last year as part of the country's controversial 'social credit' system aimed at improving the behavior of citizens. From a report: According to the National Public Credit Information Centre's 2018 report, 17.5 million people were banned from buying flights and 5.5 million barred from purchasing high-speed train tickets because of social credit offences. The report released last week said: 'Once discredited, limited everywhere.' The social credit system aims to incentivize 'trustworthy' behavior through penalties as well as rewards. According to a government document about the system dating from 2014, the aim is to 'allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.' Social credit offenses range from not paying individual taxes or fines to spreading false information and taking drugs.

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