:00:00. > :00:46.Our journey through China has taken us across this vast country.
:00:47. > :01:02.From badminton smashes to smashing bridges.
:01:03. > :01:05.It's a fascinating place, hungry for success.
:01:06. > :01:16.But there's one subject you can't avoid here.
:01:17. > :01:23.People can't do what they want, say what they want,
:01:24. > :01:29.The government controls the media here and it tries is hardest to lock
:01:30. > :01:38.And if you go online here, you hit a massive obstruction.
:01:39. > :01:46.It is a filter that blocks access to sites, apps and search terms
:01:47. > :01:50.considered contrary to Chinese values, and that includes
:01:51. > :01:52.Facebook and Twitter, and all Google services,
:01:53. > :02:22.including Gmail and even the home page.
:02:23. > :02:25.However, things are starting to get a little more dark.
:02:26. > :02:28.Chinese citizens are being encouraged to report on each other
:02:29. > :02:30.online, looking for inappropriate content like politically
:02:31. > :02:32.Private messaging is being monitored and your digital footprint,
:02:33. > :02:35.what you do online and who you talk to, could start to automatically
:02:36. > :02:38.affect you getting a job or getting access to credit.
:02:39. > :02:40.Dan Simmons reports from the city of Shanghai.
:02:41. > :02:43.Just as big Chinese cities start to look more like Western ones,
:02:44. > :02:46.each day, so like in the West, the Chinese equivalents of Facebook
:02:47. > :02:49.and eBay are getting to know their users even better.
:02:50. > :02:51.Wandering round this metropolis, it's easy to feel very at home.
:02:52. > :03:04.But it's also really easy to forget that you could be being watched.
:03:05. > :03:08.Wii Chat has become a sort of WhatsApp and Facebook
:03:09. > :03:15.But while WhatsApp messages are encrypted to stop snooping,
:03:16. > :03:19.it's a very different story on Wii Chat.
:03:20. > :03:25.You know, day-to-day message, and we do video calls,
:03:26. > :03:31.Actually, we do everything, including payment.
:03:32. > :03:39.I mean, everybody knows we're being watched,
:03:40. > :03:43.If this were a student protest, it would only take about less
:03:44. > :03:46.than one day for the Government to find out and then it
:03:47. > :03:53.I sort of understand that the Government is trying
:03:54. > :03:56.to block some things to maintain the so-called harmony,
:03:57. > :04:00.or social stability, but I feel that it's our right
:04:01. > :04:03.to know what's happening out there, and it's our right
:04:04. > :04:11.to have our own judgment on stuff that is a threat to us.
:04:12. > :04:13.Certain accounts that post too many things
:04:14. > :04:20.that the Government doesn't approve of will be blocked forever.
:04:21. > :04:27.Being watched is one thing, but Shangue says that, increasingly,
:04:28. > :04:32.One of my roommates, actually, is a part of the team,
:04:33. > :04:34.so he received a message from his leader saying
:04:35. > :04:36.that you should do this and you should do that,
:04:37. > :04:44.So, you have university students spying on other university students?
:04:45. > :04:46.And reporting them to the Government?
:04:47. > :04:50.Yes. That's correct.
:04:51. > :05:03.Wii Chat's move into being a purchasing platform,
:05:04. > :05:06.as well as a social one, means they have each user's buying
:05:07. > :05:10.And that mixing of the social and financial is a cause
:05:11. > :05:13.The pressure group Privacy International says that it's worried
:05:14. > :05:15.about a new development in China called Sesame Credit.
:05:16. > :05:18.How would you feel if the information you were sharing
:05:19. > :05:20.on social media, all communications you are having with your partner
:05:21. > :05:23.impacted the chances of you getting credit, and essentially the chances
:05:24. > :05:26.of you getting a nicer house, and nicer car, having your kids go
:05:27. > :05:31.Would you be willing, or would you even be able to change
:05:32. > :05:37.behaviour and comply with such a system?
:05:38. > :05:40.Sesame Credit was created last year, not by the big banks, but by China's
:05:41. > :05:43.shopping equivalent to eBay, Alibaba and ANDE financial services.
:05:44. > :05:45.This online video suggests that your social accounts
:05:46. > :05:47.and who you are friends with could affect your access
:05:48. > :05:55.to credit, mortgages and even some jobs.
:05:56. > :06:04.Under the scheme, each user is given a score,
:06:05. > :06:07.a number that, if high enough, could be used for preferential
:06:08. > :06:09.treatment at Marriot hotels and Hertz cars, amongst others.
:06:10. > :06:13.And in the future, it's likely to be recognised much more widely.
:06:14. > :06:17.So, I find out, ooh! I got a high score.
:06:18. > :06:26.So, I'm proud of that and show my friends,
:06:27. > :06:32.There is so many incentives built into this system from
:06:33. > :06:34.a psychological level, from a competitive level,
:06:35. > :06:42.The reason that it is self-policing is because there are so much
:06:43. > :06:51.Maybe go to make more friends, make more good-quality friends.
:06:52. > :07:10.The idea that people pick their friends,
:07:11. > :07:12.or change their on-line behaviour in pursuit
:07:13. > :07:14.of a high score is challenged by Sesame Credit's creators.
:07:15. > :07:17.They told us that they currently have no intention of tracking any
:07:18. > :07:18.non-consumption activities of our users.
:07:19. > :07:20.And there's no evidence to the contrary, but
:07:21. > :07:24.This government document states China's intentions of having credit
:07:25. > :07:27.scores partly based on news media, that blacklists should be widely
:07:28. > :07:34.publicised with an overall aim to categorise credit scores.
:07:35. > :07:37.So some feel proud, and lower scorers learn to change
:07:38. > :07:58.We invited Tencents, the owners of Wii Chat, to talk to us
:07:59. > :08:01.about online surveillance and credit scores but they didn't reply to us.
:08:02. > :08:04.The Chinese credit rating system for individuals is very young.
:08:05. > :08:06.Social credit scores, as they are being called,
:08:07. > :08:08.could see the blending of financial and social information,
:08:09. > :08:10.be it judging our posts or friendship groups
:08:11. > :08:14.So, it's likely that the credit for introducing new rules governing
:08:15. > :08:16.people's access to money, and perhaps other life opportunities
:08:17. > :08:19.will go to China's biggest tech companies rather than its banks.
:08:20. > :08:29.It is nearly time for us to leave China, but before we do, here is
:08:30. > :08:48.jammed with some monks. This was the last place
:08:49. > :08:50.we expected to find a robot The Longquan Temple
:08:51. > :08:53.was built at the foot North West of Beijing,
:08:54. > :08:57.a thousand years ago and the site Underneath this bridge is said
:08:58. > :09:01.to live a Golden dragon, and in this ancient ginkgo
:09:02. > :09:04.is rumoured to be an old man with a white beard,
:09:05. > :09:06.who is a God of the tree. Buddhism is an ancient tradition
:09:07. > :09:09.that forms the spiritual practice And the monks here are hoping to use
:09:10. > :09:21.technology to promote their beliefs to many more,
:09:22. > :09:24.through an extremely cute robot. Xian'er's name actually means
:09:25. > :09:27.'Stupid, virtuous one.' But he's Through the touch screen held
:09:28. > :09:34.on his tummy, he can answer simple voice commands and answer up to 100
:09:35. > :09:37.questions about Buddhism. He's happy to have a conversation
:09:38. > :09:40.about various deep topics... The master has just asked
:09:41. > :09:45.the robots monk where do And he says, even human beings
:09:46. > :09:53.cannot answer this question. The robot monk has got
:09:54. > :09:56.some sensitive parts. The master showed me around
:09:57. > :10:30.the grounds where they grow their own food, and have a high-tech
:10:31. > :10:37.library as well as a lower tech one. The temple is gaining a reputation
:10:38. > :10:42.as being a high-tech monastery. Some of the monks here have degrees
:10:43. > :10:44.in computer science. The main master monk
:10:45. > :10:46.was the first in mainland China to start an Internet blog,
:10:47. > :10:50.and at least one monk is rumoured I was surprised to find such
:10:51. > :11:02.as sophisticated stop-motion studio operating at the heart of the temple
:11:03. > :11:05.with so many volunteers. But it was the volunteers
:11:06. > :11:07.that drove the creation He was designed by technology
:11:08. > :11:14.companies in China who donated their expertise and time to help
:11:15. > :11:17.promote that is in a high-tech way. They are already working
:11:18. > :11:22.on an updated version. I wish that we could
:11:23. > :11:42.communicate in English. That is it for the short version,
:11:43. > :11:47.the full version is available on iPlayer. NextWave, we are on the
:11:48. > :11:55.opposite side of the world in the US. Bodyclock? What bodyclock? You
:11:56. > :12:16.can follow all the action on Twitter. We will see you soon.