By Anders Sandberg
Iteration X invented these, but their main user is The New World Order. The bugged processors, or "Remote Intercept Standard Processors", RISPs, are apparently normal processors. They look like a 68000, a 80386 or any other standard processor. They work completely the same way. But each RISP have a individual identification code. When the technomancers send this code using their sophisticated communications technology, the RISP will respond from anywhere in the world. It will immediately link up to a technomancer computer, which will emulate the processor. The user will never suspect anything, but all information passing through the processor will appear in the technomancer computer. The technomancers can take control over every machine with a RISP inside.
The New World Order has used RISP-technology to infiltrate most government and military systems. Almost any information stored in these systems can be retrieved, records can be altered or deleted. Iteration X has begun experimenting with sending not only information into the RISPs, but instead using the link to send high voltage currents into the computer, destroying the computer and killing the operator.
Fortunately, the technomancers have not yet infiltrated everything with RISPs. While they certainly would like to have a RISP in every piece of machinery on Earth, it would not be very useful. The amount of information would be too big to handle, even with the biggest computers in Autocthonia. Even today there are millions of RISPs, and most of them sit unused in personal computers, washing machines and stereos. Most of these have been simple tests of the technology, using infiltrators at Intel and Motorola to spread the RISPs. Since the technomancers only have a very general idea of what each RISP is used for and where each RISP is, they have not yet been used for anything.
Another problem is security. The paranoids in The New World Order do not like the thought of having RISPs everywhere. While they certainly would like to have total access to every computer in the world, they are suspicious of Iteration X. What if the Iterations use the RISPs to infiltrate New World Order? Or even more horrible, what if the Virtual Adepts got wind of the RISPs and used them to infiltrate the technocracy's computers?
There also exists RIMUs (Remote Intercept Memory Units) and AISP (Autonomous Intercept Standard Processors). The AISPs are designed to constantly scan for certain patterns, like the words "Virtual Adept", and contact the main computers if this appears. Unfortunately, the AISPs are not very advanced yet, and can only scan for very simple patterns (They would fail against "Adpt Vrtual"). Iteration X engineers are working on this problem.