Web

The web (or webs, the net, internet, and et cetera) is the collective term used to refer to cloud-networked cultural spheres of digital media and telecommunications, with the term's ancient definition becoming irrelevant with the long withering away of the old forms of distribution (such as physical media or cable television).

Due to the nature of the light barrier, each star system has its own isolated cultural sphere, with the exception of the Solar System - owing to its age and population - which has several. The following are the key webs of governed space:

• Greater Solar Sphere - The relative closeness of planets allows for slow communication across the system for the average consumer. Pan-solar connections are always more - sometimes greatly more - expensive than planetary connections that, while disallowing real time games or instant chat, allow slow messaging and filesharing.
  • Earth Sphere - Dominated by a free market internet that varies in regulation between arcologies: The European arcos are all relatively free from censorship, except Pyotr I, which has medium censorship; The American arcos are all relatively free, except for New Manhattan, which has heavy censorship. Xin Xiwang and Shengli have heavy censorship, while Binan Suo, Sky Garden and Taegeuk have medium censorship. Malija has very heavy censorship - the worst on the planet. Pacifica and Novo Brasil have heavy censorship. Freeland and the ISCO Protectorate have medium censorship.
  • Martian Sphere - Mars has an intranet, with offworld communication allowed only to high-ranking officials. Though highly invasive, with all data stored and monitored by ALIAS, Martian media offers all the products and services one could find on the Earther web.
  • Belter Sphere - The general term for the culture spheres of the Main Belt. A wild west with state regulation being almost non-existent; restrictions are imposed by companies, with the greatest internet freedom available only to the highest paying customers. Many use virtual private networks and onion routing to bypass this.
  • Jovian Sphere - Highly regulated internet with medium censorship, with heavy censorship for most nudity, illicit substances and gore.
  • Saturnian Sphere - Zero regulation, and rife with heavy advertisement, private networks and malicious broadcasts. Similar to the Belt, the biggest restrictions are imposed by one's data plan.
• Alpha Centauri Sphere - Very limited culture with little regulation.
• Nova Sphere - Free market internet. Martian expats consume capsule forms of the Martian culture sphere beamed over from the Solar system, with direct access to Novian media permitted only for high-ranking officials.
• Tranquility Sphere - Free market internet with little regulation.
• Eden Sphere - A highly regulated sphere with access limited to government officials, the military, and some of the upper class. Under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Morality.
• Trappist Sphere - A large diverse sphere dominated by Qaf, still largely unregulated to the distress on many moral guardians. The People's Republic of Cariocecus has attempted to regulate its internet in the past, but ARES has reneged on creating an intranet at the urging of Qaf due to economic factors.