This seems to be Alibaba coming up with a credit scoring system for people who don't have banking relationships. Here's more info.[1] The People's Bank of China already has a more traditional credit rating system. But most people in China don't have a credit rating in any form.[2] This seems to be a scheme to get the rest of the population plugged into the system. There's a Government policy document on this "social credit system".[3] The Alibaba thing appears to be a trial under that system.

Of course, it's a Government control thing, too. But China already had that - it's called a dangan. In China, many people really did have a Permanent Record. That's not as important as it used to be, because it was employer-maintained, mostly by state employers. With more private employers, it's less of an issue. This new system may become a modernized version of the dangan.

China has a centuries-long history of keeping records on everyone. The old systems worked when there was very limited population mobility and job mobility. Now, with a more flexible workforce, the old system is getting an upgrade.

[1] http://www.chinadailyasia.com/business/2015-06/09/content_15... [2] http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/05/08/why-there-are-no-credit-... [3] https://chinacopyrightandmedia.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/plan...