i think that's actually a weak part of the article. she goes on to clarify that china's social credit system doesn't even really exist. so it would have been be

i think that's actually a weak part of the article. she goes on to clarify that china's social credit system doesn't even really exist. so it would have been better to say it like this: "the only difference between your phone and china's social credit system is that your phone is real"