I researched this particular app, which I'd never heard of. It's called 老赖地图 (Laolai Ditu) and it's a WeChat mini-program launched by the Hebei Higher People's Court.

So already it's not a "China" app but a local initiative that's only functional in Hebei province.

Secondly it has absolutely nothing to do with a "social credit score", which again doesn't exist in China. What this app does is flag the registered home addresses of people who are 失信被执行人 (dishonest judgment defaulters), meaning people who have defied court orders to pay debts despite - in the court's judgement - having the means to pay. This app is basically a local Hebei province judicial enforcement tool.

And far from warning people to "keep their distance," the app actually does the exact contrary: it encourages users to report people's assets. The logic presumably being that if someone claims they can't pay but is driving a BMW or shopping at Louis Vuitton, that's evidence the court can use to enforce the judgment.

Basically the app is crowdsourced contempt-of-court enforcement - somewhat aggressive, sure, but the opposite of what's being claimed here. And frankly not that shocking: a reminder that court records are public in most countries (like the U.S. for instance) and that many countries encourage citizens to report hidden assets and tax evasion. The IRS pays up to 30% of recovered funds to whistleblowers (irs.gov/compliance/whi…).

Similarly the U.S. sex offender registry lets you scan your neighborhood with the same "radar" logic. Different offense, same mechanism.

So, aggressive? Maybe. Uniquely Chinese? Hardly.

And again, absolutely nothing to do with a "social credit score" which, for the Nth time, is a myth. It does not exist!

https://x.com/i/status/1998211993992679460

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5808282&forum_id=2\u0026show=posted",#49496204)