=Online Research= 
The [[Research]] skill represents a character’s ability to track down information in the mesh. Such information includes any type of digitized data: text, pictures, vids, XP, sensor feeds, raw data, software, etc. This data is culled from all manner of sources: blogs, archives, databases, directories, social networks, rep networks, online services, forums, chat rooms, torrent caches, and regular mesh sites of all kinds. Research is conducted using various public and private search engines, both general and specialized, as well as data indices and search AIs.
Research has other uses as well. Hackers use it when looking for specific information on a network or device on which they have intruded. Likewise, since everyone inevitably uses and interacts with the mesh, Research skill is also a way to identify, backtrack, and/or gather information on people as long as they have not hidden their identity, worked anonymously, or covered their identity with a shroud of disinformation.
==Search Challenges== 
Due to the sheer amount of data available, finding what you’re looking for may sometimes seem a daunting task. Thankfully, information is fairly well organized, thanks to the hard work of “spider” AIs that cruise the mesh and constantly update data and search indices. Additionally, information on the mesh is tagged with semantics, meaning that it’s presented with code that allows a machine to understand the //context//of that information as well as a human reader would. This helps AIs and search software correlate data more efficiently. So finding the data is usually not as difficult as analyzing it and understanding it. Finding specialized or hidden info or correlating data from multiple sources is usually the real challenge. Perhaps a larger issue is the amount of incorrect data and misinformation online. Some data is simply wrong (mistakes happen) or outdated, but the nature of the mesh means that such things can linger on for years and even propagate far and wide as they are circulated without fact-checking. Likewise, given the amount of transparency in modern society, some entities actively engage in disinformation spreading in order to clutter the mesh with enough falsehoods that the truth is hidden. Two factors help to combat this, the first being that data sources themselves have their own reputation scores, so that untrustworthy or disreputable sources can be identified and ranked lower in search results. Second, many archives take advantage of crowdsourcing—that is, harnessing the collaborative power of mesh users (and their muses) everywhere—to verify data integrity so that these sites are dynamic and self-correcting.
===Sidebar: Search Capabilities=== 
Online research in Eclipse Phase is not the same as just googling something. Here are ﬁve ways in which it is vastly improved:
**Pattern Recognition:** Biometrics and other forms of pattern recognition are efficient and intelligent. It is not only possible to run image recognition searches (in real-time, via all available spimes and sensor feeds), but to search for patterns such as gait, sounds, colors, emotive displays, trafﬁc, crowd movement, etc. Kinesics and behavioral analysis even allow sensor searches for people exhibiting certain behavioral patterns, such as suspicious loitering, nervousness, or agitation.
**Metadata:** Information and ﬁles online come with hidden data about their creation, alteration, and access. A photo’s metadata, for example, will note what gear it was taken on, who took it, when, and where, as well as who accessed it online, though such metadata may be easily scrubbed or anonymized.
**Data Mash-Ups:** The combination of abundant computing, archived data, and ubiquitous public sensors enable intriguing correlations to be drawn from data that is mined and collated. In the midst of a habitat emergency such as a terrorist bombing, for example, the ID of everyone in the vicinity could be scanned, compared to data archives to separate out those who have a history of being in the vicinity at that particular time, with those remaining checked against databases of criminal/suspect history and their recorded actions analyzed for unusual behavior.
**Translation:** Real-time translation of audio and video is available from open source translation bots.
**Forecasting:** A signiﬁcant percentage of what people do on any day or in response to certain situations conforms to routines, enabling easy behavioral prediction. Muses take advantage of this to anticipate needs and provide whatever is desired at the right moment and in the right context. The same logic applies to actions by groups of people, such as economics and social discourse, making predictions markets a big deal in the inner system.
==Handling Searches== 
Online research is often a crucial element of Eclipse Phase scenarios, as characters take to the mesh to research backgrounds and uncover clues. The following suggestions present a method of handling research
that does not rely solely on dice rolls and integrates it with the flow of the plot.
First, common and inconsequential information should be immediately available without requiring a roll at all. Most characters rely on their muses to handle searches for them, passing on the results while the character focuses on other things.
For searches that are more detailed, difficult, or central to the plot, a Research Test should be called for (made either by the character or their muse). This test indicates the process of finding links to and/or accumulating all data that may in fact be relevant to the search topic. This test should be modified as appropriate to the obscurity of the topic, ranging from +30 for common and public topics to –30 for obscure or unusual intel. This initial search has a timeframe of 1 minute. If successful, it turns up enough data to give the character a basic overview, perhaps with cursory details. The gamemaster should use the MoS to determine the depth of the data provided on this initial excursion, with an Excellent Success providing some bonus details. Similarly, a Severe Failure (MoF 30+) may result in the character working with data that is incorrect or intentionally misleading.
The next step is not so much accumulating links and data as it is analyzing and understanding the information acquired. This requires another Research Test, again modified by the obscurity of the topic. If the gamemaster allows it, complementary skills may apply to this test, providing bonus modifiers (for example, an understanding of [[Academics]]: Chemistry would help research the effects of a strange drug). Muses may also perform this task, though their skills are typically inferior. As above, success determines the quality and depth of the analysis, with an Excellent Success providing the full story and potential related issues and a Severe Failure marking completely incorrect assumptions. The timeframe for this phase of research largely depends on two factors: the amount of data being analyzed and the importance to the storyline. Gamemasters need to carefully measure out their distribution of intel and clues to players. Give them too much too soon, and they may spoil the plot. Fail to give them enough, and they may get frustrated or pursue dead ends. Timing is everything.
==Real-Time Searches== 
Characters may also set up ongoing mesh scans that will alert them if any relevant information comes up new or updated, or is somehow changed. This is a task usually assigned to muses for continuous oversight. Whenever such data arises, the gamemaster secretly makes a Research Test, modified by the obscurity of the topic. If successful, the update is noted. If not, it is missed, though the gamemaster may allow another test if and when the topic reaches a wider range of circulation or interest.
==Hidden Data== 
It is important to remember that not everything can be found online. Some data may only be acquired (or may be more easily gotten) by asking the right people. Information that is considered private, secret, or proprietary will likely be stored away behind VPN firewalls, in off-mesh hardwired networks, or in private and commercial archives. This would require the character to gain access to such networks in order to get the data they need (assuming they even know where to look).
It’s worth noting that some entities send out AIs into the mesh with the intent of finding and erasing data they’d rather hide, even if this requires hacking into systems to alter such information.

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