Society for the Protection of Sentient Rights

• Created by: Garry Stahl and Jay P. Hailey
• Appearance: Hinted at yet to actually appear.
• Number of Members: Several hundred thousand
• Nature of Members: People convinced that Artificial life forms are getting a raw deal. Some are themselves artificial life forms, others are of the more usual kind made with unskilled labor.
• Organization: Club.
• Game Role: Shrilly defend the rights of computers and holograms.
• World Role: See above
• Relative Influence: Major. The SPSR has the ear of important political figures.
• Public or Secret?: Very public
• Publicly Stated Goal: See that all sentient beings enjoy equal protection of their basic rights, regardless of how they came into the world.
• Relative Wealth: Good. The Society's dues paying members see they have sufficient operating funds. The All is an active supporter.
• Group advantages: Money and Lawyers. A body of law that agrees with their basic principles.
• Group disadvantages: The money and lawyers of those that disagree with their basic principles. Laws that also disagree with them. A deep seated prejudice among Human populations originating from Earth.
• Those who favor them: Biologicals with a sensitive sense of justice. AI and RI computers, androids,
• Those opposed to them: Those that fear computer sentience or think the very idea is a big mistake.
• Area of Operation: The Federation
• Headquarters Location: Lake Geneva, Earth
• Public Face: Earnest people in defense of the improbable.
• Notable Members: Corby Wallace: Founder and former Captain in Starfleet JAG.

  Rear Admiral Gensilan: Member and Ane RI. Commander of Starbase 600.

  Commander Data: Android and quiet member of the Society. Direct cause of the founding.

  The Exocoms: Some of the more vocal AI members of the Society.

• History of the Organization: The organization was stated in the wake of the trial for personhood of Lt. Commander Data (The Measure of a Man). Captain Corby Wallace of the Justice Advocate General's office considered that the trial never should have have happened on reading the report. He resigned his commission in protest that the matter would even be tried. "I will not serve in an organization that would claim to own any one, and force them to trial to prove they are people." He started the Society for the Protection of Sentient Rights

  Wallace noted that there were several Federation members that had decided the question, The Vicharrian Empire, the Ane Confederation, even the Vulcans had opinions on the books that stated that sentient is as sentient does However, the old attitudes of Earth somehow overrode all of that placing the idea of personhood in question for an increasing number of sentient beings. So the matter was still a question in Starfleet. That needed to change. The Charter of the Society reflects this.

  Currently the Society lobbies for changes in laws they see as marginalizing artificial life and computer sentience. They also combat the stereotypes of the "Evil AI" that infuse Human culture. They hold up the examples of Data and the Ane RI's the labor in the behalf of all sentients without thought of glory or reward, or of trying to snuff out biological life.

  Ironically not all computer sentience sees them as a good thing. Some would prefer to keep a low profile and go on about their business without someone pointing out how wonderful they are. To support or to ignore is a big debate on the RI community with beings on both sides.