Artificial Intelligence and Social Scoring Systems: Between Dystopia and Reality

Abstract

TThis article examines social scoring systems and algorithmic reputational rating as one of the most far-reaching manifestations of contemporary automated governance. Taking the People’s Republic of China and its Social Credit System as a paradigmatic case, the paper analyses the logic of classification and surveillance underlying these mechanisms, as well as their effects on individuals’ opportunities, freedoms, and living conditions. It also addresses the Dutch Toeslagenaffaire, where the use of algorithms in fraud detection generated discriminatory outcomes and seriously harmful decisions, and the Italian experience with reputational rating, especially in light of case law and decisions of the Data Protection Authority. On that basis, the article argues that the expansion of automated decision-making requires stronger guarantees of transparency, human oversight, proportionality, and protection of human dignity. The final section advocates a shift from algocracy to an algoretics grounded in fundamental rights