Memory Erasure
Memory erasure, often formally referred to as selective memory erasure (SME), is a process by which a person’s memories may be removed, with varying levels of granularity. Multiple methods of SME exist, including the use of amnestic drugs, machines such as Neural Cleaver that physically modify neural tissue, and customised Class A infohazards. For synthetics, erasure is performed via the Direct Neural Interface (DNI). The process may be used beneficially to remove unwanted thoughts and memories, but is also utilised by entities such as Raven to remove classified information from personnel who leave the organisation.
Because SME in military contexts is not deemed a beneficial medical procedure and is as such a violation of the Hippocratic Oath, such procedures are usually carried out by a medical technician.
Amnestics
Amnestics are the least precise method of memory erasure, as they are unable to target specific memories and are only variable on the temporal axis, but do provide some deployment benefits, for example being used at a large scale to “amnesticise” large populations. This is especially useful in calamity response when it must be ensured that civilians forget an infohazard they may have observed. As amnestics carry a small risk of recall, they are generally unsuitable for erasure of classified information from an individual.
Physical modification
Physical modification with machines such as Neural Cleaver involves physically slicing apart the brain, while it is held in a stasis field, using a monomolecular blade, performing the modifications, and sealing it back together. While this method is the most popular in the corporate medical industry, Raven has phased it out in favour of infohazard-based SME for multiple reasons: it is slow and unreliable; the machines are huge, require significant infrastructure, and cannot be maintained in-house; and it was decided that BioCorp could no longer be trusted.
Infohazard-based
Infohazard-based SME is almost as precise as physical modification, while able to be performed much faster and in smaller spaces. By nature, it is only available to Raven. The process is the most reliable known method of memory erasure, but requires patients to be conscious to view the patterns, and carries a chance of permanent neurological damage if subjects attempt to resist.
The procedure involves an individual being strapped to a chair and instrumented with a neural monitor, similar to that used in memory screening for vetting. The individual is placed in a skull clamp and eyelid speculums are attached to keep them staring directly at a display, unable to look away or close their eyes. As classified memories are read out and identified by the operator, a highly-classified infohazard generation system begins to generate Class A infohazards identified to them, which rapidly flash on the screen.
The process is repeated multiple times, sweeping through each memory until it can be ensured that readback is impossible. Finally, a Class Y infohazard is seeded into the individual to create dummy memories that would otherwise overwrite the erased ones, which has the effect of greatly reducing the chance for residual recall. The ease of this process heavily depends on the attitude of the subject; a willing subject accepting of the infohazards may experience no ill effects, but one attempting to resist may experience severe pain, hallucinations, and even experience seizures.
Direct Neural Interface
As inorganic beings synthetics do not possess organic brains; their consciousness is housed within an optical processor. The Direct Neural Interface (DNI) is required to access the synthetic’s consciousness and manipulate memories. However, this has created a dilemma for Raven, as by nature all SI cores are designed to resist forceful tampering, and the DNI cannot be accessed without consent. It is for this reason that every synthetic employee joining Raven is required to pre-authorise DNI access by INTSEC to ensure they cannot refuse at the time of erasure, even if they change their mind.