Hello there,

I already discuss this topic at the official German FanPro Forum but I hope to get an official answer here, or at least a chance that an official might read this.

Situation:

A dwarven decker called "Z" was arrested by LoneStar for kidnapping the children of an exec of Novatech.
He was imprisoned on remand and saved by another Shadowrun Team right out of the cell.
4 months later he wants to clean his criminal record to reuse his old SIN. There are many questions open, because even the Target: Matrix doesn't answer everything.

1) He left Seattle right after the kidnapping, came back 2 months later, left again for 2 months and came back now.
In AAA and AA areas cameras are installed everywhere. Is there a possibility that he will be seen, compared to his photo stored in criminal log and rearrested by LoneStar?
I think (but don't know) that there are SKs searching cameras for crimnial acts and criminals trying to hide from LoneStar using different databases where all the criminals are stored.
Or aren't there any SKs and LoneStar uses officers sitting behind the cameras?

2) What should he do to clean his record? What hosts does he have to hack in order to be a free person without a criminal background (I know it would be easier to buy a new SIN on the black market. Let's say it's not an option).

3) Then I have a question I was thinking about for a long time.
What is the structure of LoneStar Hosts? I'm not talking about any values or IC constructs.
But what are the hosts one has to visit to report a crime, where are all those Panicbuttons administered how many chokepoints are between the public hosts and the PLTG, is there one public host per city connected to each precinct or does each precinct have it's own host? What's on the PLTG, are there any SKs doing the paper work or is it done by officers etc.

Do you have any preferably official solution to these questions? The Target: Matrix is no big help IMO.

Thanks forwards
Gabriel

Firstly, I'd say no, he isn't likely to be recognized on random cameras unless he commits a specific crime and they know the guy on the camera is the guy who did it. Random biometric sampling simply makes life too difficult, and its usually only run against people with outstanding warrants anyways.

I'm going to go off of RL as far as I understand it. All the coppers out there are welcome to correct me with any mistakes I make.

First I'd ask if the crime he was booked for was State or Federal. I believe kidnapping is a Federal Crime. That's a bad thing. He'll now be in the UCAS equivalent of the FBI's computer, as well as (perhaps) the Department of Justice (DoJ). These are both highly classified systems, assume Red or even UV. They're built to repel deckers hired by the Triads, so don't expect anything easy.

On top of that, he's going to be in the datbases of all of the major security companies (they have contracts with the FBI or DoJ to dl their files, so their own systems are up to date. The question is which ones keep their own, local copy, which is faster and more reliable, and which ones just access the FBI's computers for each lookup, which is cheaper.) I'd assume KE and LS would both have him on file now as a known offender, as well as a number of the smaller companies (but lets be honest now, how much do we care about the smaller ones?) If you go into the FBI/DoJ databases and put him as acquitted, that'll replicate itself and LS should largely leave him alone, however if his record simply disappears, they'll still have a copy of him as a known offender.

After that, you have other little databases, the apartment building's rental computer has files saying he owes 2 monthes rent because he was arrested without giving 60 days notice, etc. But that isn't stuff that's likely to be checked by a SIN check. You could go there in person and tell them that's wrong, and the people will (in theory) check your story and agree, but it's just a question of how much you want to work for those little fish.

1. Get cosmetic surgery to change your appearance.

2. Get a real good fake ID.

3. Don't get caught again!

I'd just add not to look for a "official" answer, cause you aren't going to get one. Just the opinions of your fellow shadowrunners.

Well just from what I've seen. You'd have to erase traces of yourself from Lone Star, UCAS criminal database server, Novatech (probably a little tweaked you tried to mess up one of their assets) for starters. Then within each of those, you'd have to check to see who they shared the information with.

What may work, is not so much erasing what is there, but adding to the information so you're no longer a wanted criminal. Maybe first downgrading the priority of your case, then a month or so later, adding a tag that indicates your case got thrown out, "Mistaken identity!", ...oops just noticed Nezumi already covered that.

Making information disappear is probably the most difficult thing to do in regards to this case, since there's likely a lot of cross-referencing between security/criminal databases. It'd be better to add to it, and hope the corrections get pollinated across the dbs. But you'll likely be stuck with a notation in criminal files. So if you screw up again, you're already in the databases. A partial solution, but if you're unwilling/unable to drop your ID and adopt a new one, its likely the best you'll be able to do.

Unless you've got an inside man who can directly make changes in the DoJ db, I'd anticipate a freezing, bloody decking experience ahead.

They're not answered officially so that you, as the GM can make things up to suit the current game you're running. That, and there's no way a player will know exactly how difficult it's going to be.

This is the same reason there aren't stats for Damien Knight or Harlequin or Ehran or any of the Great Dragons, etc...

Now, giving him a chance to do it is all fine and dandy, but you should also let him know what the score is on which is the easiest or best approach beforehand, since the character will either know, or should find out in the course of preparing for such a run.

I definately think the idea of adding to the info in the DoJ files makes the most sense. Erasing them would look too suspicious, but putting in an official memo that he was the wrong guy, and that Some Other Dude ™ is the real perp is probably the best way to go about it, and much more possible.

Although, you still have to break into one of the most secure hosts imaginable. Hell, I'd even go so far as to think that you'd have to get on site, since the stuff online wouldn't be what they'd make official changes to, just what they make available for others to use/reference.

A run into the DoJ, jacking in, fixing yourself up... Could be quite a fun game, and would certainly allow for a full group of players to become involved as well.

Anythings possible but theres nothign offical out there. Its up to your GM to make the judgement call and say what defenses they have. Since your wanted theres nothing to lose,.. except your life to a black IC.

If your decker can clear this record, there is no more reason for him to run the shadows. He can right all the wrongs of the world, make himself the richest person, find the perfect life-partner online, and select the next president. He can make every yakuza member a clean upstanding citizen, and solve the prison overcrowding situation. He can eliminate the government deficit and solve the unfunded social security problem.

If he accomplishes this, a person he knows will sell him to the highest bidder (corporate, government, criminal organization, Zurich Orbital, or Shadowland) who want his skills on their payroll, and he'll never get out.

Allow him a Computer Background check to realize this, if he doesn't know it already. If he insists on doing it... well, it's his life.

This sort of thing happens every day when you get your rating 8 fake SIN created...

A slightly easier way to do it might be to bribe some cops. Fudge up some records saying the you had an evil twin (or something). Let you pet cops have a shootout and wax the evil twin. They have them file a 'whoops, it was the evil twin all along' type report with the DOJ. Then you don't have to worry about hacking the DOJ at all.

I always thought that Target:Matrix had some sample host at the last pages. As far as i remeber there have been some values for host. There is a description about the Lone Star Host and it includes some infos about crime records. BUT as its descriped there, it seem to be impossible to do it.

A sample security sleave for DOJ is there too. But the DOJ is really easy...

I know the Target: Matrix......but the information in there don't give me the feeling it would be impossible. Well, okay, it's a red average system, but that's something which can be done.
Changing crime records or anything like this needs the decker to change the header of a file he manipulated (it's a special edit operation). If he doesn't do that the system will synchronize its content with the content of the main office (every four hours, whatever that main office might be) and realize something isn't went wrong. Next step GridSec will examine what's wrong there.

According to Target: Matrix all you have to do is change a header and everythings fine. No physical officer who works on the case just a stupid SK.
Apart from these official answers I don't know where to change the file (or where to fake panicbutton calls).

I think there's a difference between having no stats for Harlekin or Dunkelzahn (which is really not necessary) and having no information how a typical LoneStar System works. Hey if you haven't told me I wouldn't even have think about the possibility that criminal records might get into hands of the FBI. Stupid me!

Anythings possible but make it so bad its statistically impossble, like TNs of 38 < hey there are custom systems right?>. Or honeypots where that decker thought he got in to the right area but instead changes the file smack in the middle of an IDS or someone actively watching. You see this all the time IRL systems. Hackers seeing systems that just happen to be on the wrong service pack with the right ports open, never realizing the FBI/DOD/NSA is already being contacted.