The Culture of Digital Transparency and the Individual in the Context of Algorithmic Surveillance: Social Scoring in the Context of Philosophical Anthropology

Introduction. In the context of the rapid digitalization of society, social scoring and social rating are becoming key tools of algorithmic surveillance, radically changing the interaction between individuals, the state, and digital systems. While social ratings were initially created as a system for incentivizing socially approved behavior (an example is the Chinese model of 2014), social scoring expands this practice, becoming a universal tool for assessing individuals based on their digital footprint. From a philosophical and anthropological perspective, these processes require a rethinking of human subjectivity: the boundaries of freedom, identity, and autonomy in the context of digital control. Michel Foucault's concept of biopower and Gilles Deleuze's ideas of the "society of control" allow us to consider social scoring as a manifestation of a new form of power, operating through a person's internal agreement with algorithmically determined norms. Methodology and sources. The study is based on hermeneutic and critical-analytical approaches, as well as methods of philosophical interpretation of the concepts of digital subjectivity and algorithmic governance. The works of M. Foucault, G. Deleuze and B. Stiegler are used, as well as contemporary studies of digital culture (M.T. Sablin, Yu. Tsvetkov, A.A. Lazarov). The empirical basis is provided by social scoring practices in China, the United States, and Russia, including the domestic experimental social rating platform “We", developed by the Russian State Social University as a test model for assessing citizens' social status. Results and discussion. Social scoring creates a new type of subject, whose identity is constructed based on digital data and predictive analytics algorithms. A phenomenon of digital conformism is emerging: people base their behavior on algorithmic expectations, striving to maintain a high rating, while, the boundary between moral choice and calculated utility disappears. The lack of transparency in algorithms increases the risks of discrimination and inequality. Russian practice demonstrates a trend toward expanding digital control under the guise of ensuring security, raising ethical questions about the permissible limits of state surveillance. Conclusion. Social scoring and social ratings represent a manifestation of a new paradigm of digital power, within which the subject loses autonomy and becomes the object of algorithmic assessment. They influence these relationships, transforming social trust into a manageable digital resource, and subjectivity into a product of computable rationality. Preserving the human dimension of digital society requires a philosophical and normative framework aimed at protecting dignity, freedom, and the right to anonymity. The humanization of technology and the transparency of algorithms are becoming crucial conditions for preserving the autonomous individual in the era of digital control

Authors: Maria S. Sorokopud, Alexey A. Konik

Direction: Philosophy

Keywords: social scoring, social rating, digitalization, digital transparency, algorithmic surveillance, virtual identity, biopower, subjectivation, digital ethics, personal data protection

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