Blackout Zone

A Blackout Zone on a Core Planet is an area where one or more of the following occurs.

• Commerce using Platinum (hard currency) rather than Credits is done. A Platinum is worth about .4 Credits (or 2.5 Platinum to the Credit). This prevents transactions from being taxed or tracked electronically. And for most transactions this makes them illegal. Carrying platinum in these regions is a misdemeanor (roughly equivalent to possession of burglary tools, or drug paraphernalia).
• Cortex feeds and boxes are unavailable, typically due to to rampant piracy, and theft. As a result trade and information is more informal.
• Ident Cards(RFIDs) and Retina scans are non-functional or simply not present, preventing the tracking by federal authorities. Travel into Blackout Zones is prohibited to Federal Employees during business hours (unless on official business). Many corporations make travel to blackout zones against company policy as well.
• Areas of large cities (typically) the sky is literally blacked out. It might be deep in the artificial canyons created by skyscrapers or underground complexes, magamalls, etc.. A consequence of being in a blackout zone is that satellites and other space or airborne observation is impossible.

Since the majority of the Border and Rim are effectively blackout zones on many of these accounts, the term generally only refers to the Core Planets and Moons.

'VERSE
Mutineers