System Identification Number

From Sixth World Wiki

System Identification Number or SIN refers to the method in which the UCAS tracks the activities of its registered citizens. These activities include criminal violations, licenses, legal business transactions, purchasing property, and similar activities. Because it ties together all of the information associated with a particular identity, a SIN is one part birth certificate, one part passport, one part credit history, and one part legal record. The UCAS SIN was established in 2036 through the 14th Amendment to the UCAS Constitution (SR3, p32), and several other nations followed suit with similar identification numbers. The term is probably derived from a combination of the old Social Identification Number (SIN) of Canada and Social Security Number (SSN) of the former United States.

While people without SINs are officially known as "probationary citizens", a person without a SIN is referred to colloquially as SINless, a term that usually denotes an illegal alien or criminal. "Probationary Citizens" have no legal rights and are not allowed to vote. When a criminal is caught and cannot be associated with a legal SIN, they are issued a temporary criminal SIN for processing and record keeping.

Most governments and corporations in the world have adopted SINs or similar methods of identification, and frequently share their databases with each other. The actual numbers that compose a SIN are typically generated by various pieces of personal information, such as birthdate, state of origin and initials. A SIN is often associated with a person's credstick for ease of use, so that the credstick's owner can easily show proof of identity.

[edit] References

• Shadowrun, Third Edition, p238