Technology, according to Sterling, is also a powerful part of the cyberpunk genre. Not outside us, but next to us. Other additions can be made to the human body, such as extending hand razors, adding memory chips to the human brain for data storage capability, and other types of enhancements. Corporations fight over technology and information, though not blatantly. The megacorporations turn to shadowrunners to infiltrate corporate databases and appropriate information, making them the carrier pigeons of data rather than insecure data lines.
Technology literally pervades the human self and dominates the world.
Technology is by no means always used for the purposes of good. Neuromancer 's Case originally was a data thief, scouring the networks for information to be sold. Shadowrunners are, by their very nature, illegal mercenaries who do business in the extralegal sector to promote their own welfare, be it either for money, information, or fame. They seek to make their fortune through illegal activities, and the more money on the line, the less legal their methods. Most activities conducted by a shadowrunner deal either with valuable data or unwanted individuals that may possess information that others would like to keep suppressed.