Just to be sure...

SIN
Contains your birthdate, birthplace, name, basic DNA data, retinal scan data, finger prints data.

ID
Contains your birthdate, name, metatype, physical description, photo.
It can be linked to a SIN, one (or more) bank accounts and one (or more) licenses.

Access ID
Is the "IP" of the Device/Persona used. A Nexus will have a number of Access ID equal to its Persona Limit.

Is it right?

SINs generally only have your initials, basic description, and originating nation/corporation of the SIN. However, other information is LINKED to that SIN and you can find by searching records using that SIN, but the SIN doesn't innately contain that information.

IDs and Access IDs are the same thing as far as I can tell and they're just a fancy version of internet IP addresses. They're normally static but people (ie, Runners) often spoof them so that all kinda goes out the window.

At the risk of turning into a frothing madman on this subject like I generally do...

A SIN is the collected, living and breathing history of you. It has everything. Retinal scans, fingerprints, blood type, metatype classification, hair color, eye color, skin color, briefs color, transaction history, personal history, dating history, grades in history, personal profile, social profile, health profile, target profile. From date of issue to date of death (and beyond, for some lucky contestants), it is the access code to everything you are. Most anything you buy and do links to a server that links to a SIN. Your SIN and your ID are, in essence, the same thing by 2070. Some people can carry more than one SIN legally - dual citizenship employees of corporations, for instance, provided you aren't in the PCC. Those will link to one another. Fake SINs, on the other hand, you never want linked to one another.



Your Access ID is the IP address/MAC address of your commlink. When you log onto the Matrix, your Access ID is whatever your commlink (or brain, in case of TM's/AI's) is broadcasting.

Don't forget about commcodes.

Wai-what.

A SIN (System Identification number or something like that) is a number or an alphanumeric string. It's the id under which all data about your person gets stored. Shop A wants to store that you bought a dozen flowers? Then they will store "12 Flowers, sold to SIN XYZ.". The cops want to store that you got arrested for drug dealing? They will store "SIN XYZ. Charge: Drug Dealing." The SIN itself doesn't change, it cannot, since it's an identifier. Changing it to store information would be like changing your name everytime you buy something. The SIN is the KEY to all data about you, but it ISN'T all the data in ifself. Of course, common speach will probably use the term "SIN" for the number itself AND for all the files that are associated with it.

Your commcode is your M(atrix) S(ervice) P(rovider) obtained "email address"/Phone number.
It's what allows people to send you emails, to send you voice/video calls. Your MSP gives you one, and when you go 'online' it sends your MSP your access ID and then the MSP starts to route all commcode traffic to you! When you're offline, it stores your messages for you.

SINs: the "number" itself consists of a unique identifier, your birthday, your place of birth, your "nation" of citizenship, your meta-type, eye color, hair color, retinal scan, fingerprint. Additionally, there is an authenticating server that keeps track of more information. It is for all intents and purposes your StateID/Military ID, passport, social security number, health care membership id all rolled into one.

Licenses are associated to a SiN and they are validated by the authenticating authority.

Your Commlink has a copy of your SiN and Licenses. Your SiN is legally required to be broadcasting while in medium+ security zones. Your licenses are available upon request.

The Rating of your SIN reflects how deep a check one can run on it, without it bouncing.

Rating of your *fake* SIN, of course.

Hmm, i wonder how practical it would be to place junk data into databases when making fake SINs.

That is, if their major use will be to get past low key checkpoints they could hold data that would make the reader come back with "error!". Most likely the official involved in the check will wave the person on if it is just a routine check of some sort.

Eh. Most low-key checkpoints want a 'Valid' response. If an 'Error' shows up, then they have to follow procedure and investigate it, which'll only hack them off.

I think of it as this way: Stuffer Shacks look for a bank account & the query: 'Do you have a SIN?' The First Bank of Grand Cayman (preferred among SINless and Shadowrunners for their lassiez-faire entrance requirements) sends back a response 'Yes, they have a SIN and money.' That's as far as they need to go. (Rating 1)

Low-key checkpoints are looking for the same answer, but they'll go through their corporate servers which may or may not bounce to FBGC if the ID turns up to be a big no in their own systems. Other territories will fire back a 'Yes' on the question, and it'd get waved through (unless it's an Azzie one, hurr). (Rating 2)

Midrange checkpoints want to make sure the 'right people' go through, so they'll add a request for residence. I don't think any territory would refuse it since they're all using this kind of data, so it can shoot back a 'Yes, he resides at the Seattle Arcology', and they get waved through. (Rating 3)

Higher range checkpoints are getting paranoid about it, so they start looking at where you just were. A quick query for recent purchasing history comes up and shoots off a verification query to a few of the last stores you were at. They bounce back an 'Alrighty' when it shows that yeah, you did buy a pack of gum there about a half hour ago and yes you went through it fast, you're trying to quit smoking. (Rating 4)

High-end enclaves are picky. They want your job position, your reason for being there, and if you've got an appointment for it. Cue the queries to the requisite servers. If they don't jive, you've got some 'splainin' to do. Each query, of course, throws back a ping as to where you really are.
"Why the hell is Johnson over at Saeder-Krupp, we don't even have a contract there!" (Rating 5)

Cream of the crop: Biometrics, blood tests, and you'd better be wearing the color of boxers your RFID tags says. They're gonna run through all of it. (Rating 6)

Each rating reveals another layer of security your black marketeers have to penetrate to get valid information into. It's like making an identity for a spy - you've got to create a person from whole cloth then hope they stand up to the butane torch of identity verification.

Junk data is simply going to kill the fake faster than having nothing there.

On Unwired page 9 in the textbox it says:
Your SIN is linked to biometric data and proves you are a citizen.
Your ID is who you are.
Together, they allow you to exist in today’s world.

And on Unwired page 53 in the textbox it says:
When you engage the persona, several things happen.
First, you are immediately assigned an access ID which stays with you for the duration of your session.

It seems to me that the ID (that contains personal info about yourself) has nothing to do with the Account ID (the IP/MAC Address of the commlink).

Any ideas about this?

Duh. Of course Access ID has nothing to do with your driver's license.

If I have ten different commlinks, they each have a different Access ID.

Actually, I get the impression there isn't really a real thing in SR called "ID"; your SIN serves to identify you, and both a SIN or a badge can be used to "ID" you, but there's no specific thing officially called "ID".

My doubt came from this phrase (SR4A, page 332):
"Fake License: ... Each license is assigned to a particular ID/SIN (character’s choice)"

So I thought that ID and SIM were different things, but... while you can buy a "Fake License" or a "Fake SIN", you can't buy a "Fake ID".
Maybe the ID/SIN is a single "entity" and the meaning of the above phrase is that: "if you have multiple ID/SIN, you can only assign each license to a particular ID/SIN". So each license can be assigned only to one ID/SIN.

If so, I don't understand why they have they have made this distinction on Unwired page 9:
Your SIN is linked to biometric data and proves you are a citizen.
Your ID is who you are.
Together, they allow you to exist in today’s world.

Here is how i understand this ID/SIN buisness :

Your ID is the mass of datas and information that are referenced by your SIN in various databases across the Matrix. When you buy a SIN, you buy not just a SIN, but also the ID going with it, the myriad of false datatrails that make it appear as real. A stronger false SIN rating means a more extensive and coherent ID.

And a license assigned to a specific SIN is in fact a part of the ID referenced by that SIN.

An ID is an abstract concept; a symbol that uniquely identifies an object. The Access ID is an example of an ID for a device; a SIN is an ID for a person.

The stuff in Unwired is just muddled writing; what they mean is that a Licence is linked to a specific legal entity, as identified by a SIN.

A SIN is a number; specifically, a System Identification Number. (Although the acronym has been deconstructed differently here and there.) The number is a constant; it would be useless otherwise.

The SIN is a key to a lot of database records, like biometric data or shopping history; not all of the databases belong to the same people, but the SIN makes it easy for them to compare data.

The data referenced by a SIN can be used to guesstimate if the SIN is a fake or not; you can check the biometrics, but a good fake will take care of that by using the biometric data of it's user. Somewhat harder is to simulate a believable shopping history; this also requires to regular work to maintain. If you don't buy enough stuff with your fake SIN, it'll start looking less legit. If you buy different things after buying the fake SIN than in it's "prehistory", that'll also show up to a good data mining program.

SIN = Driver License Number/Passport #/ID
Matrix/Access/Commocde ID = Phone/Email
Account = Credit Card/Bank Account

Most of the time for normal interaction your Access Id and Account are all you need for day to day transaction. This is because, just like today, most bank accounts, credit cards, phones, email, and such services require you to record your SIN when purchasing the basic service.

You rarely show someone both your ID and your credit card, usually the credit card by itself is sufficient.
Your email/phone rarely requires an ID to be used.

If you have someone's credit card #, or their email, then it is relatively straightforward to go from that to determine their ID, but it is not usually immediately obvious.