NetWatch

NetWatch is a worldwide Net policing organization based out of London, England. Its initial focus was to patrol the Net in order to prevent illegal activity. After the DataKrash, it tried to contain dangerous AIs and secure what it could from the Old NET. It works closely with corporations and often fights against rival Netrunners.

Overview
NetWatch is a global policing organization founded in 2013 by a US/Eurotheatre treaty. It works in tandem with and receives funding, equipment, and personnel from governments, corporations, and other large organizations to patrol the Net and prevent cybercrimes. The organization's Netrunners, known as NetCops, Wolves, Weasels, and The Icemen, were equipped with very powerful software to move through the Net, and would patrol specific "beats", which could cover a city, region, or continent. While arrest and imprisonment were the primary goals of NetWatch, it was also known to use Black ICE programs to kill or maim their opposition.

After the collapse of the Old NET due to the DataKrash, during the 2030s and 2040s NetWatch oversaw the development of corporate CitiNets, local VPNs established in Reclaimed Cities. At the same time, it made contact with AIs that had managed to survive rogue malware known as R.A.B.I.D.s in order to work together on getting the Old NET under control. The project did not exist in any official books or records, and was known only as "the Black Wall".

By 2077, one of NetWatch's goals included keeping people from penetrating the Blackwall: a virtual firewall, which was believed to keep free AIs from breaking through and causing mayhem. As such, they were at odds with Night City gangs such as the Voodoo Boys, who wished to break down the Blackwall with the belief that the AIs would help them and humanity as a whole.

Shards

 * Looking for a career change? Join NetWatch!