Dude, Stop. JUST STOP. LISTEN TO ...
Reaver, please calm down a notch ;-)
To SSDR's defense when you posted the citation of "owned property" from SR4 I too thought about owned real-estate. I was not reading it as literally everything you own, like pants, watches, plants, mirrors, computers etc. Going by the literal meaning of the word property (which you provided a few times now) you are of course correct. I don't think this is what we are debating here.
The reason why I think there is still a discussing around the word "property" is because you included a citation from SR4 that mention that owned property is linked to SINs. This citation was never included in SR5 (nor SR6). There is no mentioning of the word property in relation to SIN in SR5. So no matter what the original intent was in SR4, in SR5+ SIN does not seem to be required in order to buy things. There does not seem to be a hard link between ownership and SIN (anymore). If your SIN is burned your (now) get to keep items that you bought. The exception here are licenses and bank accounts from respected financial institutes. They are tightly connected to one of your SINs and if that specific SIN is burned then so are you licenses and bank accounts associated with that specific SIN.
What IS the point, is how that OWNERSHIP is tracked.
If I (or rather my representation in the matrix, my matrix persona) in 5th edition have matrix ownership of a matrix icon (equivalent of 4 marks) that belong to a physical object (a device icon) then I can choose to legally transfer my ownership from my matrix persona to you and your matrix persona. This process take about one minute. The original author have confirmed that this have to be while both you and the device is online. It seem to involve registering the new owner of the device in a series of secure online databases.
It seem as if I can transfer matrix ownership to you no matter if you have a SIN or not. Having a SIN or not does not seem to be part of the ownership equation. At all.
The majority of people in SR do their shopping online. (you can see that in just about every write up about the matrix, or buying stuff.) Heck, even today, online shopping is outpacing store shopping.
BUT, from what you are saying, this is impossible! As there is no "Tracking" in the matrix... No logging... nothing to follow, nothing to confirm, nothing to verify back to.
Payment:
When you pay with your credit account then it seem as if the transaction is logged, confirmed and validated by the bank where you have your credit account. The data trail seem to lead back to you and the SIN you originally used when you applied for the bank account. In a sense there is a financial record that link the product back to your SIN, however, matrix ownership of the device you bought is not linked to the SIN your bank account is connected to. Once you bought the device you can choose to transfer ownership to someone else without leaving a financial data trail that is connected to your or the recipients SIN. All the logs will show is that at one point you used your bank account to successfully buy the item. Nothing more. Nothing less.
When you pay with a certified credstick then the transaction seem to still be logged, confirmed and validated by the bank that certified the credstick. But the data trail instead leads back to the certified credstick that was used in the transaction rather than a bank account connected to a specific SIN. It seem as if a certified credstick belong to whoever is in possession of it. Credsticks does not seem to have any legit matrix owner. If I choose to give the physical credstick to someone else (or someone physically steal the certified credstick) then there does not seem to be anything stopping him from transferring founds to or from the credstick or to use it in transactions to buy stuff with it. There is nothing linking transactions made with a the credstick back to me. All the logs will show is that at one point someone used a credstick to successfully buy an item. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Ownership:
Once the financial transaction (either with a bank account or a certified credstick) is approved by the bank (or if the previous owner decide to just gift you the item without payment or perhaps you traded goods or services for the item) the previous owner will file a motion to transfer ownership over to you. This seem to be a process that take about one minute. Once ownership transfer is complete it seem as if you you will be considered the new legit owner of whatever you bought. As its new matrix owner you can automatically spot it and you can also trace its physical location.
An alternative is that you illegally try to transfer ownership of the thing from its previous owner. This seem to require that you are physically in possession of the item and that both you and the item are connected to the matrix for a lengthy period of time. Once ownership transfer is complete you will be considered the new legit owner.
It does not seem as if you need to be a legit citizen in order to be considered the owner of a wireless device. There does not seem to be any requirement that you have a SIN (legit or otherwise) here, but it does seem as if you need to be connected to the matrix in order to become the new matrix owner of the device.
How does the cop that pulls you over for Speeding in downtown core, verify:
1: that you are allowed to drive?
Cop can check that you have a general driver's license attached to the SIN that your matrix persona is currently broadcasting (note that example characters in SR5 doesn't have driver's licences on their fake SINs but example characters in SR6 do). Cop can also run your SIN through his SIN validation unit to validate that you are are a legit citizen (not using a fake SIN).
Cop can also verify this remotely over the matrix even before he decides to pull you over (and depending on what type of security zone you are driving around in, not broadcasting a SIN at all might be a sure red flag for the cop to pull you over).
2: that you actually own ... the car?
Actual ownership of a device seem to be handled by a registration that is maintained in multiple and redundant databases across the Matrix (separate from personas and SINs).
In 5th edition it is also not even mechanically possible for anyone but the real owner to instruct the car's auto pilot (a hacker could perhaps try to spoof commands to the car's auto pilot, but only while they have a mark on the car's legit matrix owner).
It is also not mechanically possible for anyone to remote control the car unless they are the car's owner of if the car's owner have invited them to place 3 marks on the car (a hacker can temporarily remote control the car if he tricked or forced 3 of their marks onto the car's device icon, but in 5th edition it typically take GOD just an hour or so to converge on a hacker that have not rebooted yet).
Grand Theft Auto doesn't seem to be as easy as it perhaps used to be back in 2022.
See, THIS makes sense.
The SIN contains your Biometrics already. So when you want to purchase something online, Your Persona wonders up to the item and hits the Buy button. Which in turn triggers a challenge/response from the Persona, <Please confirm biometrics to complete purchase> So you jab your thumb on the reader, which tracks back to your SIN and accounts. IF the biometrics match the SIN (and why wouldn't it... you're not a criminal... ARE YOU?!!), the SIN unlocks the bank account, money is taken out of the account (through the Persona's actions), and the item is registered to you.
This might make sense from a 2022 security engineer point of view. But if you rule it like this, then how do you explain that it would work if the bank account is linked to a fake SIN (as fake SINs doesn't have copies of its owner's biometrics on file).
We are back to Gattaca where criminality and impersonation is rendered almost impossible and leaving a single hair at the wrong place will immediately will give you away.
NOT a very good setting for a game where players are supposed to be able to act outside the law, saying within the shadows.
...
(Before we start to compare apples and oranges note that me and I think Reaver as well are discussing how it used to work in SR5 while Banshee is talking about how the matrix works now in SR6).