Hey all....I have GM'd a while now since SR1 with some time off, but got a brand new group recently who are wildly into all the technical encrypt/decrypt/ecm/eccm etc etc.

I understand the ECM/ECCM in vehicles. I get the RCD decrypt/encrypt bit. I even got broadcast ECCM and encrypt/decrypt down. But when I get to page 292 and see the paragraph about encrypting data (with the accompanying chart on page 293), I have no clue as to WHAT data they are referring to. Isn't the data to be encrypted just done with the data encryption system and decrypted with the data codebreaker in the same general equipment section? I am pretty confused as to why someone would use the chart on page 293 in terms of what is being encrypted/decrypted (i.e. what are they paying for..the service? the equipment? and if so, what is the point of the data encryption system??).

Sorry to ramble, although any help offered by my more technical colleagues would be most appreciated (the old group was way more magically based, so I have my hands full with the group who has seen Ronin too many times...making it fun for me to explore a whole nother side of SRun as well, I might add..so not frustrated...just annoyingly curious here).

Thanks all!!!

What they are referring to is a broadcast encryption chip in your radio. It does not handle simsense encryption, ala rigging, decking, simrig. I assume this is because it cannot handle encrypting simultaneous multiple encryption of complex data.

Best of luck! Usually I propose a techno theme and they all come back with mystic characters. "Gee, I thought I was the only one making a shaman"

No, not at all. Broadcast encryption is on page 290.

I have to say, cha-cha, that I hadn't noticed that before. But looking at it, i guess it means you have to buy the data encryption system at a certain rating, The system can then encode the data up to it's rating, but yo must purchase the encryption seperatly (the table).

This doesn't seem to make much sense. I think it's worth writting at
info(at)shadowrunrpg(dot)com for an official ruling, cause I'm as stumped as you are. Please post back to let us know what the ruling is.

Hey everyone...thanks a bunch!

I will definitely check that out Backgammon, thanks for the idea (hadn't thought of that), and I will post the details when I hear back. Well, I can now breathe a sigh of relief that I am not alone in my stumped-ness...I always feel better in a crowd of head scratchers Although the idea you mentioned makes sense...just another way to soak players of moolah, I suppose (that will go over great !!!).

Again, everyone, mucho thanks..I sincerely appreciate it!

cha-cha

the data encryption device is for encrypting traffic, mutch like a ssh tunnel or vpn connection today. you stuff unecrypted data in one end and while its traveling down the line its unreadable to anyone.

the data encryption is for secure storage, you encrypt a file with it and to get the data in it you will have to know the password or else. basicly its your scramble ice for non-host systems.

broadcast encryption is for radio and similar only. it does not work for cellphones (for those i belive you need to hook up a data encryption system to them).

so broadcast is used for device to device traffic, data encryption devices are sued for landline or semilandline calls and traffic, data encryption in pure form is used for secure file storage on devices.

if you want to be realy secure when your sending a file over a matrix connection (that includes phone and fax) then you would first encrypt the file useing data encryption and then send it to the destination useing a connection fitted with a data encryption system.

basicly its badly named. it should be named something like phoneline encryption system or similar. that way you get a more clear seperation from the data encryption table.