Personal Information Device (PID)

Functions as a person’s I.D., credit card, passport, and medical record. PIDs provide basic types of Net access, including: voice, text, and limited video services. Net services require one other piece of equipment, such as a retinal display, eyeglass VidScreen, or ear piece and microphone. PIDs are often a small piece of metal or plastic, about one quarter the size of a credit card. However, they can be as small as a grain of rice and be inserted under the skin.

State Passports, proof of citizenship, are usually carried as encrypted data on one’s PID. State Passports are almost always necessary for gaining entry into city-states. Temporary Passports (T Pass) are usually issued to those working for a city-state without full citizenship. T Passes are frequently issued to mercenaries, resource gathering expeditions, and explorers operating outside the walls of the cities (3.1).

Most city-states implant every citizen with a PID, either at birth or when citizenship is granted, usually in the underarm, at the base of the neck or in the shoulder.

PIDs can receive, transmit, and store all kinds of information. There are two types of memory in every PID, one that can only be altered by city-state officials and one for the PID’s owner. PIDs can be accessed using any number of readily available data terminals and handheld communication devices. Changes made by officials are always marked with an encrypted string to ensure the integrity of the PID system.

The portion of memory devoted to the PID’s owner is usually used for personal information, like addresses and P-Comm numbers. This portion can also be used to buffer and cache data if the user’s PID is linked to a netwire (3.4.1).

City-state citizenship is an extremely valuable commodity, as most cities only bestow it upon those born within their walls or those individuals they are keen to convince to join their population.

To begin with, a citizen’s identity and identification are guaranteed by their home city-state. This makes travel between city-states and dealing with security forces significantly easier, assuming the citizen is not breaking any laws. It also makes opening an account or additional accounts with the Central Financial Authority significantly easer. Citizens receive the benefits of city life: access to some measure of medical care, education, stable employment opportunities, and a relatively safe environment (3.4.2).

PID - Sub-dermal

Sub-dermal PIDs are extremely common in 2280, with most city-states issuing them at birth to new citizens. The PID is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted beneath the skin - usually under the arm or above the collar bone. The procedure is painless and lasts only seconds.

Sub-dermal PIDs include personal area network (PAN) transmit and receive capabilities, enabling them to communicate with any nearby networked device.

All modern PIDs include several terabytes of internal memory which can be accessed and used by the owner through a networked device. Additionally all PIDs include a secure portion of memory - accessible only by city-state authorities - which holds information about the owner's citizenship, criminal record, medical records, Trust account, and other important personal information.

Sub-dermal PIDs, which can be stolen, are considered a valuable underworld commodity so long as one can pass for the PID's original owner. Implant procedures generally cost 1000T and willing independent doctors are usually easy to find. Remember, in most city-states it is a crime to carry more than one PID at a time, as it is an indication of multiple identities.

PID - Wallet

Wallet PIDs have the same functionality as sub-dermal PIDs, but are about the size of a 21st century credit card and have a small display and touch screen. Wallet PIDs are generally considered low-tech relics and a sign that one is a citizen of a small of "backwater" city-state. Wallet PIDs can also be purchased and used to hold Trust Notes and other personal information, even among non-citizens. Wallet PIDs are also a hot underworld commodity, especially since they do not require implanting. However, carrying more than one PID with an encoded personal ID can sometimes be a risky undertaking (9.3.3).