Rumors are swirling around the impending nationwide launch of China’s controversial social credit system. The system, which collects vast amounts of public and private data, is intended to tighten its control over its nearly 1.4 billion people, but it could affect businesses as well.

Low grades could make it impossible for companies to borrow money and lead to investigations, frozen bank accounts, or limitations on local employees’ movement. The authorities are installing separate facial-recognition technology and other monitoring systems to contain dissent, as well as stop crime.

In this podcast, RANE Analyst Zachary Torrey interviews Kendra Schaefer, Head of Digital Research at Trivium China. Kendra leads Trivium’s User Behavior division, consulting on User Behavior, the Digital Silk Road, and China's social credit systems. She has designed and consulted on over 150 digital projects for both private investors, SMEs and multinationals. Her clients have included Google, Envato, and the Eezy network. She is literate in Mandarin, and specializes in Chinese interface design and usability.