What country do you live in? They probably have credit records. Here in Finland you definitely do. They don't break it down into a single score, but lenders can see how many debts you've defaulted on in the past.

https://www.oikeuspalveluvirasto.fi/en/financial-and-debt-co...

> wasn't there a quite recent incident where an American car manufacturer was leaking the real-time position of all their clients' vehicles?

You might be thinking about GM:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/...

From what I read it's mostly a credit score and blacklist system. In the 2010s there was a project to use it to reward and punish people for some everyday stuff based on whether it did or didn't align with the party's morals, but it got scrapped. That's the part everyone thinks is going on over there.

I agree it's dystopian, but I live in Germany and we have a similar thing called "Schufa". For most people it mostly means that if they default on a credit, they'll be less likely to find an apartment. It differs from the US one in the sense that banks don't require you to get into debt before they trust you, that whole "build your credit score" nonsense.

No, the social credit system can restrict your basic freedom, including the freedom of moving, without a judge being involved.

The fact you are casually talking about it is infuriating.

It's like taking about the yellow star and stay "isn't it like the pins in the US".