Russian University Launches ‘Social Rating’ Platform - The Moscow Times
www.themoscowtimes.com
Russia’s State Social University (RSSU) has launched a “social rating” platform that claims to build a person’s “social portrait” with possible applications in future government policies.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/536301

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The Russia’s State Social University (RSSU) has launched a “social rating” platform that claims to build a person’s “social portrait” with possible applications in future government policies.

Named “We,” the platform promises to determine a user’s comparative “social status” based on a survey that includes questions about income, family status, benefits, creditworthiness, criminal record, lifestyle and state awards, among others.

“The social rating figures don’t affect [a person’s] life, the availability of services or the career trajectory in any way,” RSSU said on the platform’s website. “But who knows what these figures will mean for you in the future?”

Observers on social media compared the platform’s name “We” to the highly influential 1921 dystopian novel of the same name by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin. [The novel “We” describes a world of harmony and conformity within a united totalitarian state. It inspired British author George Orwell to write his own novel, “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, which was published in 1949.]

  • Chaotic Entropy@feddit.ukEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    “The social rating figures don’t affect [a person’s] life, the availability of services or the career trajectory in any way,” RSSU said on the platform’s website. “But who knows what these figures will mean for you in the future?”

    Well that’s a relief…

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      When was the last time an entity that generated stats about someone didn’t end up with those stats being used to the detriment of the individual - or at the very least for the profit of another?

    • Kusimulkku@lemm.eeEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      “But who knows what these figures will mean for you in the future?”

      Well that’s not ominous at all

  • Vanth@reddthat.comEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    These students either designed it as a subtle protest or they are in serious need of some dystopian literature in their curriculum.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.zipEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      It’s likely both. A compromise between hoping to build something real in the half-assed world that is Russia, and between wish to protest against its half-assed totalitarianism.

  • Alphane Moon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Seems like RSSU is fishing for the government’s money.

    It’s probably very badly implemented and doesn’t work as described. In a sense this is good, but my point stands.

  • Dragomus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Well this sounds a bit familiar…

    Next step is adding a scoring system with penalties for certain behavior and it will be quite similar to the social system that is rolling out in China…

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.zipEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      That’s probably the inspiration, but like hell they’ll manage to actually build something as functional.

      • silkroadtraveler@lemmy.todayEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        I wouldn’t underestimate the engineering competence of Russians especially when it comes to autocratic surveillance tools. There are plenty of Russian-built tools and web apps that function quite well - Yandex, VK, etc. The west does not have a monopoly on innovation.

        • nexusband@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          2 months ago

          The west does not have a monopoly on innovation.

          Nope - but it does look like we have the “monopoly” of being able to call out bullshit openly and not fear falling out of a window. Or being stabbed.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.zipEnglish
          0·
          2 months ago

          Yandex is a good example, VK - I’m not certain of that.

          Anyway, what I meant is that such kind of social rating needs to source data from somewhere. That means integration with quite a lot of systems built for the Russian state, which often suck a lot. It’s normal that half the time remote payments for utilities don’t work, for example.

          I mean, yeah, they can. But if it’s going to be some nation-wide system for the government, the bureaucracy will practically kill this.

          • silkroadtraveler@lemmy.todayEnglish
            0·
            2 months ago

            Comparing run of the mill government services with something as advantageous as a social credit app is not apples to apples. It’s not like they assign utility administrators to work for GRU hacking units. The people that build this tool will be highly paid technical experts. And there is no shortage of them in Russia. It’s definitely not 100% but there’s a decent chance they can cobble together a working system that tracks social scores for the vast majority of Russian citizens.

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.zipEnglish
              0·
              2 months ago

              Social scores would logically depend on the data sourced from things working as I described.

              But you may be right, of course.

          • sfxrlz@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            2 months ago

            How do you mean remote payments for utilities. Buying something in Russia from a foreign country or the other way around ? Or just remote payments through Russia ?

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.zipEnglish
              0·
              2 months ago

              I meant - submitting water counters’ data and such via their website and paying there. It’s not about payments themselves.

  • katy ✨@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    The social rating figures don’t affect [a person’s] life, the availability of services or the career trajectory in any way

    unless you’re gay…

    • barsquid@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      Some .ml fellas can explain that this is good, actually. Oil oligarch kleptocracy with murdering political opponent characteristics is one of the most leftist governments possible, so everything they do is good.

  • Justin@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Observers on social media compared the platform’s name “We” to the highly influential 1921 dystopian novel of the same name by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin.

    They actually couldn’t choose a different name than the novel that was written specifically about this very dystopian subject? Did they use it as inspiration? Because that seems more than coincidence…

    • Maggoty@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      It’s a blocking method. If 90% of the people who search a term are looking for the social platform it becomes much harder to find the book. Think of it like trying to find archival news articles about a perennial topic. You have to wade through all the recent shit and then there’s 2 hits from the time period you’re checking.