Synopsis

Act One :

The audience of this work, or user, is the hero of the story. By loading up the Memecom Gateway they are setting out on a journey, taking a leap of faith as the system crashes and begins to reboot and setting out for the unknown. The safe user friendly environment introduces the user to the world of Memecom and the established ideas of security and biometrics. The hard drive and operating system once belonged to William Olafsson, a programmer who turned to hacking under the name of J Random Hacker to bring down the system he helped create; brought to justice by his old friend and associate, Knut Miller. The work presents itself as a puzzle to be unravelled and by exploring the files left on the system the user moves deeper into the conspiracy, learning to use the command line interface to access deeper information until a remote connection is made to another hacker, the ID Rapist. The users security is compromised and new files are downloaded; it is the users expectations that will dictate whether this is regarded as a positive act in favour of the underground anti-establishment movement or a negative act, siding with the sanctity of ones security.

Act Two :

By re-examining the hard drive, new material is discovered throughout the file structure. The new information adds a new perspective on the events that befell J Random Hacker. It becomes apparent that the hard drive that the user now investigates was last used by J Random Hacker when he suspected that an assassination attempt would be made on his life. It is claimed that just before his death he sent out copies of his hard drive to spread vital information about the government and its activities. By following the daily routine of a virtual Olafsson, it can be seen that J Random Hacker is trying to send a message, an instruction to use ‘backdoor’ software to hack into the Memecom corporation and take revenge.

Act Three :

When the password is discovered the user is invited to take on the mantle of J Random Hacker and directly hack into the heart of the Memecom systems. The user must face the company by moving deeper into the core of the world security systems. Through trials and confusing code the user finally enters the Memecom Dataset, where all the world biometric information is stored. Now the user must make the moral choice of whether to continue with the plans of J Random Hacker and bring down the system, or abandon the task and the last request of a subversive information terrorist. The user now knows all the different sides to the debate on security, privacy and the place of the individual and their identity. They can now make that choice from an informed opinion; intervening to leave the world a changed place because of their actions or returning to the world they know, aware of the dangers that it contains.