Privacy has become a global topic of concern. Meanwhile, it is a
concept that is deeply rooted in local cultures. This paper is conceptual
exploration of privacy in China, it proposes that privacy is a concept yet to be
fully mapped out in Chinese culture. Specifically, this paper uses the proposed
Social Credit System in China as an example of discussion, for this example not
only helps with capturing the urgency and significance of the topic, but also is
particularly provocative in revealing the scope of privacy as a cultural concept.
This paper begins with a brief introduction to the proposed Social Credit
System; then, it discusses what might constitute a cultural perspective to
understand privacy, and cautions the complexity of comparing privacy across
cultures. This paper could serve as a meaningful reflection for both countries
who are concerned with privacy issues in face of large scale application of big
data analytics, and for privacy scholars in cross-culture contexts.