Hypothetical "Dataphages"
rating: 0+x

Item #: SCP-XXXX

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An unusual instance of SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Euclid.

Special Containment Procedures: Any instances are to be placed into an incinerator and burned to fine ash. The ash may disposed of normally.

Any individual exposed to an instance of SCP-XXXX (these persons hereafter refered to as SCP-XXXX-As) shall be detained, interrogated, and administered a Class-D Amnestic. If the -A's initial contact date with an SCP-XXXX lies beyond the amnesiac's effectiveness threshold, terminate instead.

SCP-XXXX-As and all belongings shall be reviewed back to the initial date of contact with an instance of SCP-XXXX to determine if the individuals in question have produced or reproduced any instances of SCP-XXXX, to which, of course, this containment protocol must then be applied.

Due to SCP-XXXX-As inherited memetic capabilities, all individuals with regular and/or covert contact with an SCP-XXXX-A should be considered a further instance of SCP-XXXX-A and contained accordingly.

Description: All SCP-XXXX instances thus far discovered have appeared in the form of physical print media, appearing as hand-written, mechanically-typed, or (in one instance at Site-██) a stack of punch cards for use on a Hollerith Type 1 Tabulator (the Tabulator itself has not been located). Instances commonly appear to be SCP reports, data logs, research notes, or meeting minutes related to discussion of a hypothetical "Logoverse" and supposed beings that live within it.

SCP-XXXX instances have a strong memetic effect, instilling a paranoia upon SCP-XXXX-As centered upon the belief that digital devices do not actually operate according to known physical laws but instead create a form of portal or rift to an alternate universe composed of all possible ideas, formulas, numerical calculations, and any/all other logical or creative constructs that can ever be created, stored within, or utilized by any possible digital or [REDACTED] machines and/or entities.

In this supposed dimension distance is measured as the shortest number of logical, metaphorical, or alpha-numeric jumps necessary to connect any two concepts, formulas, or sequences. Digital beings SCP-XXXX-A's call "dataphages" are presumed traverse these dimensions, "swimming" through the data-strata of their universe similar to the way thoughts fire through the neural network of a brain.

SCP-XXXX-As often obtain the fervent worldview that humanity holds a flawed understanding of digital devices akin to the belief that when someone speaks their mouth is entirely responsible for any data produced thereby; our computers are digital mouthpieces revealing only what these "insidious digital intelligences" allow us to have. This belief system often causes a strong antipathy towards and refusal to use any device capable of electronic computation or data storage.

SCP-XXXX-As acquire a potent form of SCP-XXXX's memetc effect making containment problematic to a geometric or exponential degree if any significant number of individuals are effected.

Sustained exposure to SCP-XXXX or -A instances tends to instill a further conviction that sentient "dataphages" from this "Logoverse" by their very nature have instant and constant access to all digital information ever produced or that ever will be produced. These "dataphages" are assumed to have the capacity to censor, restrict, limit, or manipulate any and all digital information humanity has ever created or stored regardless of that data's physical location, isolation, encryption, or network access.

In the best-case scenario this paranoia causes SCP-XXXX-As to waste valuable time and resources pursuing this false hypothesis in search of evidence of these "dataphages" existence, supposed motivations, potential capabilities, and the construction of a fictitious history of "dataphage" interference with humanity's progress and digital memories going back to at least 1946 when the ENIAC is supposed to have first connected us to this fictional "Logoverse".

In worse cases, this paranoia has led several collections of SCP-XXXX-A instances to discuss and plan the simultaneous destruction of all Foundation computational devices. The worst extreme was incident ███-█, a shockingly extensive and partially implemented plan led by Dr. █████ ███, Agents █████ and ████████, plus use of SCPs ██ and ████, even incorporating elements of MTF-██ to disrupt or destroy the critical components of the Internet's backbone infrastructure. Without successful containment this may have triggered an IK-Class Information Breakdown Global Collapse event.

Any and all personnel who read or hear mention of "Logoverse" or "dataphages" should immediately report the identities of the speakers and also submit themselves for containment in case they have inadvertently become SCP-XXXX-As themselves.

Anyone who upon completing reading this report feels a desire or compulsion to dig deeper into the theory may have accidentally or covertly been exposed to SCP-XXXX's memetic effect and should also report themselves for containment without delay.

SCP-XXXX is completely and entirely incapable of spreading to or via any form of digital media.

Addendum: As of 7/5/19 822 instances of SCP-XXXX have been contained (1779 if individual punch cards are counted as SCP-XXXX instances) as well as ███ instances of SCP-XXXX-A. Stay vigilant; we're not sure how many are still out there.