Extranet

Evermornans refer to the Protectorate-wide computerized communications network as the 'Extranet.' The extranet is a multiply-redundant system of hardlined networks spread across each planet in the Protectorate. Mirrors of the planetary extranet subsets are maintained across all member planets through tight-beam communications to reduce lag, though the speed of light imposes a hard limit on how up-to-date these mirrors can be.

Utility

Beyond its role in both private and public communications, such as telepresence, file service, and database access, the Extranet is an important vehicle for popular culture. The publicly maintained portion of the Extranet contains minimally-moderated forums for free public discussion of important issues, automated news aggregators, and connections to private portions dedicated to media and culture. An AR overlay hosted on the Extranet provides services like navigation, details about local events and emergencies, and limited telepresence; light pollution on Evermorn has declined in recent years as some advertising has moved onto the AR overlay rather than paying upkeep for physical signage.
Intranets appended to the Extranet provide access to more niche content or that which might require an additional layer of security. These appendages may (police tacnets, corporate datafarms, etc.) or may not (virtual experiences, blogs, video hosting, etc.) be private in nature. Multiple AR overlays can coexist in connection to a given physical space, allowing the user to 'tune into' different 'layers' as desired. Intranets also tend to be the primary carrier of VR content, as this requires more complex computer infrastructure. An intranet may be a small subset of the digital milieu - even hosting limited mirrors of the greater network - in places where regular updates are not possible. Mirrors may be comprehensive enough that the semantic distinction between a limb of the Extranet and an intranet may become blurred. For example, aboard the ESCI Revelation, one could separate the intranet available to the public for news, discussion, education, and culture from the intranet used for administering the ship's systems from the CIC; the public-facing end is often described as the 'shipboard intranet,' even though it, once the ship is in orbit, will simply become the starter seed for the Ibren limb of the Extranet.

Social Impact

A broader discussion of Protectorate copyright law extends beyond the scope of this article, but, in short, the Protectorate has a pro-sentience agenda and, as such, only extends protection to works on the Extranet created by either organic or HLAI users; to the extent that a piece of media was created by a non-sentient, autonomous system, it belongs to public domain. Like all governments, the Protectorate does engage in public messaging which may be considered propaganda, and the Extranet is the prominent vehicle for this messaging. The rise of the Extranet also saw the birth of cyber-warfare, digital crime, and general social disruption, each of which required custom-tailored solutions in its own time. Still, overall, the extranet has been a boon for public safety, education, and cultural exchange - even if it failed to usher in the post-physical existence some hoped for.

Access & Availability

The Protectorate considers Extranet service to be a public utility. Public Extranet is considered slow and somewhat archaic, but very reliable, and both national and Clan-level governments collaborate on its maintenance. Massive, durable server farms operated by the Clans crawl and impartially preserve information available to the network so that it can be restored in the event of an outage (i.e. as the result of cyberwarfare). Privately-maintained additions to the Extranet - not quite intranets, but faster lines built across parts of the Extranet to major server hubs - provide faster service to customers at varying prices.