[halflingmage]

My personal preference is to not get too pushy with SIN checks unless its at a key plot moment.  SINs are expensive.  A level 4 one, the best at creation without doing the Restricted Gear thing, costs 10,000.  A level 4 check will detect something unusual about one time in 4 and will break it about 9% of the time.  Unless you are doing hardcore black trenchcoat this is too often for my taste.

The description of the various levels of checks in the core rulebook is pretty vague.  Level 4 says "biometrics must be present."  I take this to mean that a level 4 does things like facial recognition and maybe even fingerprints.  A level 5 says it checks against samples, so that they are actually getting something like a cheek swab or a blood draw.  Level 6 is a full on FBI style background check with multiple samples and checking all possible databases. 

With this in mind a simple door check probably wouldn't be beyond level 3, as the time involved for more would make processing large volume of people impossible.  Things like cheap retail would be level 1, and a border crossing in Denver would be a level 2 just due to the volume of people they need to move.  A level 3 might be the check at a high end members club, extreme elite retail, Level four you probably have to pose for mugshots and put your hands on a scanner.  I would think a level 4 would be typical airport security, a background check for a security conscious employers, or maybe getting booked into jail after a barfight.  Level five and above they are sending stuff to the lab, so this is only for ultra-secure facilities and deep background on sensitive job applications, that kind of thing. 

All of this is IMHO, and based of off my reading of the (vague) descriptions on pg 368 of the core rules.
 

[LordGrizzle]

My personal preference is to not get too pushy with SIN checks unless its at a key plot moment.  SINs are expensive.  A level 4 one, the best at creation without doing the Restricted Gear thing, costs 10,000.  A level 4 check will detect something unusual about one time in 4 and will break it about 9% of the time.  Unless you are doing hardcore black trenchcoat this is too often for my taste.

The description of the various levels of checks in the core rulebook is pretty vague.  Level 4 says "biometrics must be present."  I take this to mean that a level 4 does things like facial recognition and maybe even fingerprints.  A level 5 says it checks against samples, so that they are actually getting something like a cheek swab or a blood draw.  Level 6 is a full on FBI style background check with multiple samples and checking all possible databases. 

With this in mind a simple door check probably wouldn't be beyond level 3, as the time involved for more would make processing large volume of people impossible.  Things like cheap retail would be level 1, and a border crossing in Denver would be a level 2 just due to the volume of people they need to move.  A level 3 might be the check at a high end members club, extreme elite retail, Level four you probably have to pose for mugshots and put your hands on a scanner.  I would think a level 4 would be typical airport security, a background check for a security conscious employers, or maybe getting booked into jail after a barfight.  Level five and above they are sending stuff to the lab, so this is only for ultra-secure facilities and deep background on sensitive job applications, that kind of thing. 

All of this is IMHO, and based of off my reading of the (vague) descriptions on pg 368 of the core rules.

But as far as I understand it all checks from one to six are done via one scanner  that may get bigger and more sophisticated with higher rating but should never take more than 15 minutes. So Even a rating 6 check would take samples directly from you, but instantly evaluate it and check it against a database, it should be possible to sequence dna and process biometrics withing minutes with shadow-tech

[Quatar]

It's maybe possible to do these things in a few minutes and without a lab (I believe it is), but not very practical in all situations.
You have a line of 100 people wanting to board the airplane. First person puts his thumb on the scanner, it picks him and draws some blood, and then they all stand around for 15 minutes till the machine says "Yup, that's him". Then person two puts his thumb on the scanner, and so on.

No in such situations that's just impractical. But if you apply for a job in a high security area, then I wouldn't be surprised if the company hiring you will run your SIN through everything they got access to, at least once. Not every time you open the door. That would MAYBE be a 4, with fingerprint or retinal scan on the security doors, while usually maybe a 2 or 3 on the normal doors (just checking your keycard)

Also 5 saying "it checks against samples" would mean they need a sample of your DNA somewhere to check against. The question is now, do they check it against a sample included in the SIN, like a "Yup, that's truly the guy the SIN was for, even if it's fake at least it's keyed to the right DNA" or is it checked against a sample stored in an oribital facility or somewhere?

But something else: When I saw this question today, I at first read "Typical Range for SIN Scanners"... and I'm kinda wondering that now. How far away do you have to be for typical SIN scanners to do their thing?
I'd almost say 1-3 works kinda at range, since you broadcast SINs from your commlink, so they can just do some checksum checking and be done with it. Rating 4... might work on a distance (facial recognition for example) or not (fingerprint/retinal scan) and 5-6 should not work at a distance at all.

[halflingmage]

Imagine 15 minutes per person when you are trying to move rush hour traffic across a border crossing in Denver.  There would be riots. 

Also, people are not going to be willing to be poked, stuck, scraped, and punctured without a very good reason.  If its to get your job that you just spent five years in college for, or if you are getting worked up a the police station and have not choice, thats one thing, but if you tell someone you need a biometric sample to buy a dress your shop is going to be out of business very quickly.

Also, its cost effectiveness.  Yes, there is probably the technology to process samples quickly.  But look at what medical things cost today.  If you are spending a couple of hundred nuyen on everyone going through the door on the testing materials and kits then you have to be protecting something incredibly valuable.  In many circumstances bio-metric testing might just blow the budget.  You probably couldn't do it on everyone moving in and out of typical office building, for example. 

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Or you have one section of the system that takes the scan, passes it off to the search system, and in 15m - after you've entered the in-between holding area, as it were - it okays it.  Your SIN's name gets displayed on the board, and you can go present yourself and go through.  It isn't 15m cumulative for everyone in line, it's 15m just for you, but you functionally have to stand in two lines, 15 minutes apart.

[halflingmage]

Or you have one section of the system that takes the scan, passes it off to the search system, and in 15m - after you've entered the in-between holding area, as it were - it okays it.  Your SIN's name gets displayed on the board, and you can go present yourself and go through.  It isn't 15m cumulative for everyone in line, it's 15m just for you, but you functionally have to stand in two lines, 15 minutes apart.

Might work for high security customs, but for Denver where you cross two national boundaries going to get groceries its not practical.  These people don't want to get out of the car, much less stand in two separate queues.  At a high volume road crossing would still be an unholy dreckstorm of a traffic jam.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Which is why they don't do a rating 6 scan every time.  They do a rating 6 when you reach your majority or move into the place, then they pass off the data to each individual sector.  Run the checkpoints at a 4, and randomize a 'take aside and run a 6' every ten or fifteen minutes on-shift.

[farothel]

Or you have one section of the system that takes the scan, passes it off to the search system, and in 15m - after you've entered the in-between holding area, as it were - it okays it.  Your SIN's name gets displayed on the board, and you can go present yourself and go through.  It isn't 15m cumulative for everyone in line, it's 15m just for you, but you functionally have to stand in two lines, 15 minutes apart.

That's probably the system they use for sub-orbitals and if you go up the well.

And in airports it would be a 4 with from time to time a randomized 6 or if they suspect you have something weird with you (a bit like they do today, if the National Geographic show Ultimate Airport Dubai is accurate).

[Shaidar]

Or you have one section of the system that takes the scan, passes it off to the search system, and in 15m - after you've entered the in-between holding area, as it were - it okays it.  Your SIN's name gets displayed on the board, and you can go present yourself and go through.  It isn't 15m cumulative for everyone in line, it's 15m just for you, but you functionally have to stand in two lines, 15 minutes apart.

Might work for high security customs, but for Denver where you cross two national boundaries going to get groceries its not practical.  These people don't want to get out of the car, much less stand in two separate queues.  At a high volume road crossing would still be an unholy dreckstorm of a traffic jam.

In a situation like Denver is faced with some of this might be alleviated by some sort of pre-screening process combined with government issued tags placed on vehicles. So Joe SINner files paperwork requesting pre-screening for himself due to the fact that he works and lives on opposite sides of certain borders within Denver. The 2 relevant governments run full bore SIN checks on Joe and then issue him tags for himself and his ride, so when he nears a border checkpoint shared by the 2 governments it begins the SIN check prior to his physical arrival at the border, and his check will be finished earlier in the queue than his physical location might otherwise allow.

You could even use the fake license mechanics to track the cost of such quasi-legal methods for runners.

[Herr Brackhaus]

I believe there is a Missions run in Denver where you're up against DocWagon, and the ambulance has some sort of emergency clearance to cross borders without stopping for checks. Something to keep in mind for the enterprising runner.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

It's always a good idea for a shadowrunner to get an eye on what the emergency responders have going for them.

[brasso]

I'm not sure about scanners taking dna samples - maybe iris scanners or thumbprint for a physical queue, but a fast queue - like in a car - I would think just a broadcast SIN check, no more.
I would say that most of the time, the dna samples, etc. is just what it took to create the SIN in the first place, I doubt this would get checked by a scanner. I'm guessing the higher the scanner the level, the more checking it does of the fake identity, rather than how much info is taken at the scanner.

I would guess that a system like this would, after the SIN's initial creation, the authorities would rely on encryption to keep it safe.

And couldn't a decent decker just hack the scanner?