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[Lachdanan]

Really what are they, physically. I'm having a hard time conceptualizing what they are. Are they like an RFID'd card? Something on your Comlink? Something implanted in to you? Does the SIN database contain fingerprints? DNA? Retinal Scans? Pictures?

I know they can be scanned, but can you ever have it not on you?

When you have a fake one have you stolen someone's identity either living or dead? Or did someone along the path have a government contact who created a person who doesn't really exist?

[Voran]

SR's desire to explain its technobabble to us has always been a perilous (ok, not really) balance with 'just go with it'. One of the first hurdles I noticed was the face recognition issue that others have also pointed out. In a world with crazy fast cross checking ability, how hard would it be to have a subprogram that goes "Hey, why don't I also check to see if this face image comes up on any other SINs we have registered". Its not slow like looking through mugshots page by page in a book.

Then you add things like specific biodata which, assuming matches your cover ID, would also be easily compared to any other SINs with that specific biodata.


Personally, I'd be inclined to downplay whats on a SIN and how much is readily available for checking if you get 'pulled over by a cop'. For example, I got stopped by a cop for jaywalking a few years back (a rookie and a sergeant, so there was NO way I was getting out of that ticket, since I was obviously a training exercise), he asked for my ID then went to go write the ticket, he also asked "You got any warrants?", I didn't but I presume even after I said no, when he went back to the car he did a quick check on my name, came back with nothing suspicious, no warrants. I imagine he also did a cursory check to see if my ID was real.

in game sense, it should be roughly the same, Mr. Troll can I see your ID? and a quick check to see if there are any flags and if the ID seems legit.

in another sense, you know how we can all get those free credit checks once per year? But more frequently and you have to pay? Or if you want to reverse lookup a phone number you can sorta do it, but you have to pay for it? Maybe its like that for SINs. Any corp cop can request and get a 'credit check' that gives them the full run down, but its like a reverse quota thing, they get pressure from the bean counters on how much it costs to keep running checks. So they are encouraged to keep things as cursory as possible.

I realize there's a disconnect in my thinking, as realistically any costs to the corp for 'credit checks' would just get passed on somewhere else to a consumer, but its kinda the principle i'm shooting for.


On the other hand I'm reminded of the scene from Minority Report after Tom Cruise gets new eyes and enters a store that does a retinal scan and says "Hello Mr Asian Dude"


I guess ultimately I'm of the opinion that SIN checks should be done for drama and story purpose as opposed to literally every couple of steps when you pass another remote sensor.