| From: | Fade <runefo@***.UIO.NO> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Nuyen, (un)certified credsticks, ID checks, scrip, paying tax, d |
| Date: | Thu, 19 Mar 1998 20:54:38 +0000 |
credsticks closely. To make sure I didn't write something old I had a
glance at it, but not more. Secondly, I make no claims this isn't
house rules - I think it is house rules only. But SR might agree on
some or most points. Thirdly, it's a bit longish.
"A speech should be much like a woman's skirt. Long enough to cover
the subject, but short enough to keep things interesting."
Nuyen's existence as electronic entities:
Nuyen, unlike current - day bank accounts, is not just an amount.
Each (indivisible) nuyen has an ID code attached to it, to make sure
it is not false. Each nuyen is 'registered' in one of the few
organizations able to issue nuyen. The location of each nuyen is also
tagged in these organizations, to certify that each nuyen is unique.
These location lists are, and must be, extremely secure. These
organizations are notified of each transaction, to update the
location lists. Thus, if a nuyen is transacted from a location it
wasn't supposed to be, it is assumed to be fake, and the transaction
is stopped or tagged for attention. Each tag has, as a part of it,
the issuing organizations' ID.
(This is unfeasible today - net traffic and storage requirements
would be far too high. In 2050 it should be a piece of cake. Probably
use dedicated non-matrix lines between major institutions, which
would batch mutliple minor transactions and send it to the central,
while the rest would be on the matrix.).
A note on less-than-one nuyen transactions: Decinuyen exist with
their own tags. Security on these is lighter. They are 'evened out'
by shuffling nuyen around - you'll almost never have more than 1
nuyen on a credstick in decinuyen.
All this is completely invisible to the user - most users are hardly
aware of it.
Consequences:
Creating 'fake' nuyen is damn hard.
Any and all nuyen transactions *may* theoretically be traced.
Tickling credsticks: Nuyen may be transferred directly from a
credstick to a credstick. This transfer isn't official until either
of the credsticks is used in a connected interface. Credstick to
credstick transfers may only be done between certified areas of
credsticks, as it does not require ID verification.
If two credsticks has conflicting information - credstick A reports
receiving 100 nuyen from stick B, while stick B later reports no
transaction, the deal is nullified. If done through a connected
interface(banking machine), the deal is instantly registered and
non-revokeable.
Lost credsticks:
Loosing a credstick is a minor matter. As all nuyen on it is tagged,
and its location known to issuing organizations, giving the proper
password, credstick ID and verification codes will cancel the lost
credstick, deleting its tags, and issue a new one with the same
amount of nuyen on it, new tags. (Same goes for stealing credsticks,
chummer - even certified ones. The nuyen will disappear in short
order if the owner's able to report the theft.).
Caveat Emptor:
Thus, you can cancel a bribe you made to someone by hacking your
credstick and 'deleting' the transaction from it. (No mean feat in
itself, though.). Or report the credstick stolen, also negating the
exchange.
Certified/Uncertified:
An uncertified credstick - or a Sinpin(and numerous other acronyms) -
is a credstick which contains the owner's SIN, driver's licence,
access codes, maglock keys. It contains everything a wallet does, and
then some. (Add access cards and keys, credit cards etc, and you're
there.). It is meant to be a person's 'main financial book' as well.
Therefore, transactions from its 'main account' is fairly well
protected, and requires sufficient identification to use. The
information on this credstick also exists stored in a lesser
institution - usually corporate - for verification and backup. Some
of these institutions are less reputable than others. Uncertified
credsticks usually has a 'certified' area for petty cash.
A certified credstick can contain a small amount of nuyen - usually
limited to 5000 nuyen - which does not require identification to use.
It has no ID beyond a unique ID number to identify the credstick to
the finance organizations for nuyen location. Most people only use
their sinpins, and does not have separate certified sticks, as it is
usually much safer. If your sinpin is stolen and you report it, it
will be cancelled, and a new, identical one will be issued. The
uncertified part will be reimbursed in full, while only what is left
of the 'certified' part the moment the stick is reported stolen will
be reimbursed. Anything spent before that is not guaranteed for by
the finance organizations. (But after that, whenever someone tries to
use the stolen stick, it will be automatically deleted - ID, nuyen,
everything.). Needless to say, reporting a credstick stolen is a
fairly complex process, requiring thorough identification. (And since
the (only?) ID was just stolen...
Most store 'tellers' are specialized forms of 'one-way' certified
credsticks. It is a complex process to withdraw nuyen from a teller,
which has more or less negated store theft for nuyen.
Stealing certified credsticks: This is much like stealing cash today.
It's fairly easy, and you can get away with it. Since the owner of a
certified credstick isn't registered, noone has the authority to
cancel it in case of theft. (It can be reported stolen, but this will
not automatically cancel it unless the owner can prove ownership,.
but transactions can be traced, and using it might be quite risky.
But proving original ownership is fairly hard UNLESS it is part of an
uncertified(SINpin) credstick. In that particular case it's dead
easy. So most people don't bother with certified credsticks beyond
the 'pocket change' part of their SINpins.
Stealing uncertified credsticks:
This is definitely not worth the time or effort. The cash on it is
most likely unavailable, and will remain that way. It can be sold as
a basis for fake ID's, if the owner had no ciminal record. (500-1000
nuyen or so.). In addition the certified cash on it is available.
(Usually no more than 500 nuyen, though.). A very good fixer or
decker might be able to extract the cash. Usually he can buy the
stick for 5-10% of the cash on it, and has a 10-15% chance of
cracking the ID. Most won't bother unless there's at least 20K on the
stick.
What does this mean for Shadowrunners?
Unless they have a good fake ID, their uncertified credstick might
not be usable everywhere. A good fake ID would be from one of the
more reputable finance institutions - but they usually has far
tighter control, making it harder to get. (And so very expensive.). A
failed ID check might be as undramatic as the store refusing to
acknowledge credsticks from that institution (fairly common for
rating 1-3 sticks, a lot less so for 4+) as they are commonly fake
or not secure. Under no circumstances would a fake ID have 'fake'
cash on it, though, so a store would only refuse purchase because of
the issuing organizations' rep if the user's ID was required as
safety (insurance, renting, loans etc).
What happens if an ID check fails, and what does that imply?
A failed ID check comes from someone using an ID which the verifier
finds something fishy about. (For this purpose, 'real' credsticks are
rating 12-18. Errors might happen.). The information on a credstick's
ID part is located in at least three places: The credstick itself,
the institution issuing the credstick (Most major corps, banks,
governments do this) and the organization(s) issuing the individual
codes - passcodes, licenses, keys etcetera. Low - rating fake ID's is
from corporations which doesn't check third-part info (much).
Creating a fake ID usually requries contacts in such a company, which
opens an 'account' there with info provided by the fixer, or else
edits an existing account. (Medium rating ID's do this, as there's
more evidence of a 'living' account.). Only the very highest - rated
fake ID's alter third party info, as it requries a lot of high -
level decking, extensive (and expensive) contacts - usually both.
So a low - rating ID can be spotted by an absence of 'living
history', or even worse, errors in regard to the issuer's
backup. Any check against third - party info will break it.
Proving anything requires a deeper check than most small shop
ID verifiers has access to, though. A medium rating stick has a
living history, and an accurate copy in the issuing company. Third
party info might exist, but is inaccurate. (Being on another
person originally). High rated credsticks (7-9) is very close to real
ID's, and cannot be directly proven fake by cursory examination. They
will requrie an exhaustive probability check/investigation of all
transactions to break.
If a non-critical ID check fails - that is, you're not in a
high-security place and can just stroll out, you can say, 'probably a
glitch, I'll have it corrected, and be back later', and go away. No
problem. But the ID is tagged, giving it a +2 TN to further ID
checks. A tagged ID that fails again will trigger a minor
investigation, and the next time you try to use the credstick, it
might have been cancelled. You'll receive a notification in the mail,
and the credits reinbursed on certified sticks. (possibly minus the
5-10% fee). If it's legally proven a fake ID, you will receive a
notification without the cash. Lone Star might or might not be
interested in you. (If you have a wrong address on the ID, you won't
get the reimbursement, but neither will you get a visit from Lone
Star.). If the investigation reaches no conclusion, you will receive
a notification that you should have your ID checked as there might be
an error. It might or might not keep the tag. (Prudent runners should
throw away that ID.). If the ID fails in a critical security area,
like an airport security check, that might have worse
consequences.
Tables for fake credstick costs and verifiers, as well as costs for
certified credsticks for higher amounts than 5000 is available in
Neo-Anarchist's Guide to Real Life, IIRC.
(Cost is about 2000*rating for rating 1-3, 10000*rating for 4-6,
100000*rating for 7-9, IIRC.). Low or medium 'expendable' ID's seems
like a sensible investment.
Shadowpayment is usually given in stacks or small suitcases of 5000
nuyen certified sticks. They are the least traceable, safest sticks
to use for the Johnson, and also fairly safe against sudden
cancellation for the runners... but they are still traceable. (So the
runners can trace the money back to its source (Usually a small
financial institution with no apparent connections) and the Johnson
might find out what the runners spend the cash on. Neither seems
worth the resources that would have to be spent.).
Credsticks and corporate scrip
Corporations issue their own 'cash', often called scrip. All major
credstick brands are able to register scrip separately from nuyen.
There's certain important changes from nuyen.
1: Only one source may issue one kind of scrip.
2: Only that source may trace its own scrip, but can also do so
fairly freely... and thoroughly.
3: Other corporations are likely to question the authenticity of
scrip. This isn't just to be annoying - they cannot reliably
verify it, so it is less reliable to them.
4: Scrip is always uncertified only.
5: While the corp's scrip is valued at 1-1 against nuyen,
that is usually not its exchange rate, especially in the shadow
markets. (10-30% of listed value in nuyen is reasonable, for the
above reasons.).
For a normal user none of the above matters much as long as they like
the corp's merchandise, or especially is employed there. (Gets
discounts, etcetera.). For a shadowrunner it definitely has
disadvantages to it.
Being a tax payer:
I think it's never explained in SR just what kind of tax you pay,
wether it's a percentage of income, or a flat tax, or an adjusted
flat tax, or VAT. The least just is for every citizen to pay a flat
tax of, say, 10000 nuyen a year. (An oppressive tax for most
low-income families, a fairly okay to low tax for middle income
families, and pocket change for the rich guys.). As Shadowrun isn't
supposed to be a just system, that is as likely as any other. If it
was based on income, tax would, then as now, depend on what you
report your income as, what your employer reports your income as, and
how likely IRS thinks it is you're lying. Credsticks doesn't enter
much into it, except for one thing:
If you have a fake ID of rating 4+, your fake SIN is regsitered
somewhere as real. So you pay tax on'em. As the listed inocme is,
presumably, quite low (Check for the day job flaw), the tax isn't
high unless it's a flat tax. Medium lifestyle or higher should cover
it. (Thus *any* police check on a rating 1-3 credstick more or less
automatically fails.).
Credstick information:
As a player, you need three(four) items on an uncertified credstick.
The name(ID) of the owner, the amount of uncertified nuyen, and the
amount of certified nuyen. Additionally, it may contain scrip.
Further information is recommended. (Addres registered on,
etcetera.).
Certified credsticks only contain an amount of nuyen.
Buying a certified credstick:
This is done in any bank, and some kiosks. Some automated buying
services is also available. Generally, the credstick itself costs 10%
of the maximum amount of nuyen it can hold. Each class of credstick
can hold specified amounts of nuyen in multiples of 5 or 10 of the
original 5000. Plain certified credsticks costs 50 nuyen. Special
credsticks usually has more owner data on them, making them a lot
easier to report stolen, but with little extra security beyond the
option of reporting them stolen. (A new credstick will be issued,
minus the registry cost, minus the amount spent until it was
reported stolen, in these cases. The bank will also put some more
effort into finding the thief.
Living on a certified credstick:
Most sinless do this. It's easy and unproblematic. No ID checks, no
questions asked, no hassles. No problems. Except that they cannot buy
or rent anything that requires an ID (guns, houses, cars, etcetera)
and they have no safety from personal theft. For any items requiring
an ID, they must be purchased on the street. (With the index.).
And meeting any law enforcement guys without a sinpin can be ..
problematic, especially if you're jumping the border or whatever.
You area also absolutely required to have a sinpin of sorts, if
nothing else because it's what you need to use as your maglock
passkey, car key etcetera. For that reason it's likely you
freely start with a sinpin(uncertified credstick) at a rating equal
to your lifestyle. (Squatter=0. (No stick - you don't have a house
you need a key for.). Street=1, low=2, medium=3, high=4 etc.).
As a runner, that ID is a fake ID. As you start the game, it's
clean. (You might have your 'real' SIN somewhere.. check your
backgorund, think it up. It's suggested that using it would be
extraordinarily stupid, though.).
What is the difference between the SINless and the SINful?
.. especially if the SINless actually has a fake sinpin?
Any fake ID is just that - fake. Prolonged use of any kind
will eventually reveal it as false. A lot of conditions counts as
fairly thorough checks - employment, for one, especially as tax forms
etc. has to be filled in. If you are arrested and your sin is fake
(Easily verified at that level for most credsticks rated 1-6) that is
a minor crime in and of itself. In addition any fine or judgement
would count as against a habitual criminal, with no leniency for
'first time offence'. The criminal system, in other words, treat you
more harshly. Not inhumanly so, and you have your rights, but it is
not something desirable. They also take a genetic sample for DNA
checks against earlier offenders, sometimes checking international
records. You do not need a SIN to be identified, and your DNA might
have a criminal record even if your SIN doesn't. It's just easier for
them if you have a SIN - not impossible. Having a good fake SIN helps
a lot *until* the point where you actually stand trial for something.
Before that you might be fine.
You are assigned a SIN if you are arrested. The problem is it doesn't
really mean anything or change anything, because a 'fresh' SIN shows
*NOTHING*. You then, officially, have no education, no driver's
licence, no nothing, except for an arrest. You might spend a few
years taking courses and exams so you have papers proving you have
education, and then, perhaps, you might get an ok job. It's a lot
more 'real' work than most shadowrunners are prone to go through - or
even can, considering that getting educated is expensive in time and
money. And it's also fairly clear you didn't have a valid ID before,
so you would still be unfairly judged against others, even those less
qualified, when applying for a job. Lastly, it doesn't wipe your
slate clean of DNA - registered crimes.
Physical credsticks
A credstick usually has a small display with a few buttons to
determine the amount transferred. On one or both ends it has a light
emitter-receiver, working at extremely short range, less than an
inch. The light-emitter/receiver is the interface with other sticks
or devices, and is standardized. Other than that, the credstick's
shape, color, etcetera might be widely varying. Cards, pens, wallets,
filofaxes, even jewelry might be a credstick as long as it can have
at least three buttons, a small display (not required but highly
recommended) and a light emitter/receiver the size of a pinhead.
('flashing' a stick is just that - doing a transaction.). Stick
shaped credsticks is most common by far, hence the name. It's harder
to loose, fits comfortably in the hand, and easily fastened on a
chain.
If a verification check is required, the verifier feeds ID info to
the stick. If the stick likes what it hears, it accepts the ID. Then
the verifier can control things to make sure the stick is what it
says it is, but it will not ask it directly if it is or isn't.
(This is a two-way security. There cannot be a stick verifier that
always accepts any ID (A fixer would love that), and there cannot be
a sinstick that always passes all checks. Further security is added
to ensure this, but is classified beyond the scope of this
document.).
I think that covers my ideas on the subject. I dunno how it
overlaps the SR system, but it works for me.
--
Fade
"Do you wish to dance with Lucretia, Mr. President?"
