A question comes to mind. Do the matrix overwatch of a site generate Overwatch Score for actions undertaken legally while they are hacking the hardware of intruders who are in the process of committing a crime? If the system aggressively targets anyone who is attempting to circumvent a security protocol, what's to stop the GOD agent swarms from demolishing employees who are legally defending corporate assets?

Magic.

I imagine extraterritoriality would kick in somewhere.

I would imagine the legitimate corporate forces would have some sort of Identifier tag for IFF purposes (Identification Friend or Foe) and would answer any enquiry by Overwatch surveillance so that they do not draw down it's wrath.

Yea and in the matrix book we can have rules for spoofing/forging those IDE and then the jello mold really begins to wobble.

Yea and in the matrix book we can have rules for spoofing/forging those IDE and then the jello mold really begins to wobble.

Nothing at all, and this is one of the exact points why no sane AAA would ever let GOD have access to their systems.

If GOD can't hit legit users inside an area who are drawing their attention, how can they hit other users in the same systems for doing the same things?

That's the whole point of Sleaze as a concept, ain't it. Convincing the system you're totally legit and meant to be there.

Seriously, extraterritoriality. GOD can operate under a "hey this is your problem" policy and let the corps do whatever they want in their own territory. If it spills out into the streets, the public areas, they can get involved. Sort of like how you can go from dealing with Knight Errant in the office building to Lone Star once you're outside. Or vice versa, however that's working now.

There will be a lot more about this in the Matrix splat, I'm sure. The short answer is demi-GODs. Local versions of the GODs.

You seem to be making a rather large assumption there. A few of them, actually, primarily unfounded.

A gamey mechanism, I suppose. I more wonder what would stop a corp from having one hacker commando per sprawl that zips to anywhere intruders are detected and brick the hell out of them so on-site security just need to bag them. Kind of makes the whole playing non-awakened characters idea redundant, if it's not stopped by something, doesn't it. But maybe their defense line is "a good GM shouldn't do this because that would be unfair" or something like that.

With Aztechnology that would be "Tezcatlipoca Virtual Sun Guard" while with Ares that should be the "Hercules Virtual Leet Matrix Guard", if you search the listing you'll find it under Ares HVLMG,

Fluff and
Sunshine

Running with this theme we should have Pantheons (local collections of demi-GODS that report to GOD) and GOD-blooded (technomancers who are agents of the Pantheons).

huh .... actually this is starting to sound a hell of a lot cooler than I thought when I clicked Reply ...

GOD was established with the TRINITY (TRansorbital-INternational-Interorganisational-TreatY) accords.

If your OS goes critical while you're in a host (say, an Ares research facility host), it doesn't grab you, it just notifies the host you're in, which immediately spots you and launches IC (and maybe gets marks? I don't remember off the top of my head). So it's not all up in the host's biz, it's just lending a friendly helping hand.

Leave the host, on the other hand, and you're burned, dumped, and traced, as usual.