InsideVoices

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Classification: Keter (Uncontained)

Special Containment Procedures: Cell towers in the vicinity of ████████ ████, ██ will maintain active interference to all signals originating from SCP-XXXX-B. A Foundation satellite will maintain a constant, directed stream neutralizing any and all EM signals that could interact with telecommunications devices, including higher energy EM emissions which could cause interference with existing devices. Noise canceling devices are to be placed around SCP-XXXX-B, and a noisy cover activity appropriate to a residential area must be performed when these devices are being repaired or replaced to prevent infection via microphones. Under no circumstances are Foundation devices allowed:

• Within SCP-XXXX-B
• Near non-deactivated devices exposed to SCP-XXXX.
• Near devices suspected to have been near SCP-XXXX exposed devices while not deactivated.
• Near ██████ brand devices active or inactive.

In the event of a containment breach involving a digitally displayed SCP-XXXX-A image, the device's display must be immediately covered with any available object to prevent further exposure and all exposed personnel must be administered targeted amnestics. Staff and D-Class personnel assigned to SCP-XXXX related research must be monitored closely for the duration of the assignment and a probationary period of no less than ██ months for SCP-XXXX-related behavior.

MTF Mu-4 "Debuggers" is to maintain an array of software including web crawlers, worms, and other programs capable of deleting SCP-XXXX data on any device capable of displaying an image digitally. Extra countermeasures are to be installed on networking devices and telecommunications infrastructure within a ██ km radius of SCP-XXXX-B. Countermemes are to be regularly disseminated to reduce SCP-XXXX-A primary effects in the general population. Foundation operatives within ██████ Inc. are to continually report on new software and devices developed by the company, and covertly include Foundation failsafes into these devices to enable reasonable containment of SCP-XXXX. Additionally, any research by the company into anomalous objects, memes, or individuals is to be reported immediately to O-5 council, especially lines of inquiry concerning SCP-XXXX itself or [DATA EXPUNGED]

Description: SCP-XXXX is a self-replicating, fast-propagating, highly cognitohazardous phenomenon that appears to be universally compatible across digital devices capable of electronic communication with one another and will store itself on any device capable of sending or receiving digital information. Once received, SCP-XXXX will use available processing power or imaging devices to create one or more SCP-XXXX-A images, place them in view of the device's user if able, and transmit SCP-XXXX data to other devices. This is accomplished using any available medium— from signals broadcast by civilian radio stations to patterns recognized and processed by computer vision software. At one point it was estimated that as many as ██% of networked or telecom-enabled devices worldwide were carrying SCP-XXXX data. During periods of depressed activity or extreme repression by Foundation and allied GoI countermeasures, SCP-XXXX-A has been known to manifest novel and/or anomalous means of infection. As such, a low level of SCP-XXXX activity must allowed within tolerable limits.

The origin of the SCP-XXXX phenomenon is an apparently abandoned daycare facility labeled SCP-XXXX-B. The site was found to be owned by ██████ Inc., as part of significant real estate investments in the local area. SCP-XXXX-A images manifest on devices capable of capturing or displaying images in and around SCP-XXXX-B through both measurable and anomalous means.

SCP-XXXX-A are images of any of 74 different children (labeled A0-A73) who disappeared in northern ██████████ between the years 200█ and 20██. Of all 74 children, only one was successfully located, at a mental hospital in rural ███ ██████ in a catatonic state. When SCP-XXXX-A images of herself, were brought in proximity with her, the child proceeded to [DATA EXPUNGED] No information connecting her with SCP-XXXX could be collected. Parents of the children depicted in SCP-XXXX-A who could be located were found to be immune to the effects of SCP-XXXX-A of their own children but not to images of other children.

Viewers of SCP-XXXX-A will develop obsessions surrounding the "trigger" child depicted in the first SCP-XXXX-A to which they were exposed. Exposure to further SCP-XXXX-A depicting different children will have no effect. Subsequent exposures to the images of the trigger child have been shown to accelerate the progression of the obsession. Compulsions to repeatedly view images are an ancillary effect in █% of cases. If not consistently exposed to countermemes, individuals exposed to SCP-XXXX-A will progress through its primary effect in the following fashion:

1. Rumination on the whereabouts, identity, or other qualities of the child.
2. Hallucinations progressing from auditory, to visual, to full sensory fugue states, featuring the trigger child expressing or subjected to suffering and distress.
3. Delusions involving a relationship with the child and a compulsion to rescue the child from distress.
4. Ideation of another "target" child, usually but not necessarily one close at hand to the subject, as the source of the trigger child’s suffering.
5. Acts of extreme violence and/or depravity inflicted on the target child, usually followed by suicide or, infrequently, a spree killing. In a large fraction of individuals who survive the fifth stage, a compulsion to repeat or relive the event will manifest.

Progression typically takes between two weeks and one year, and in some cases a single early
stage may predominate and extend far longer than the rest, leading to a "dormancy" period. Because of the wide range of exposure to electronics and the delayed identification of SCP-XXXX, it is estimated that █████████ people worldwide are currently affected. Countermemes, amnestics, hypnotic techniques, and anomalous objects are able to suppress this effect almost completely. The secondary effects are much more difficult to suppress and are likely permanent.

SCP-XXXX was first conjectured in 20██ when Foundation scientists and memeticists correlated a spike in child murders and increased attention to missing child cases and bullying. It took weeks to identify the tiny packets of SCP-XXXX data which were creating SCP-XXXX-A images and spreading themselves around the internet as well as telecom, media, military, and government infrastructure. The Foundation and sympathetic governmental organizations and GoIs collaborated to slow down the entire global telecom system, under the pretext of solar flares and severed underwater cables, in order to prevent the spread of the anomalous data. With great effort, MTF Mu-4 were able to trace the origin of the phenomenon to a group of teenagers residing in ████████ ████, ██ who had broken in to SCP-XXXX-B. Foundation investigators found one of the teenagers in a mental ward in ███ ████ suffering stage 4 effects, another had committed suicide after drowning his younger brother in their bathtub weeks ago. The rest, however, were already in the Foundation's database, having [DATA EXPUNGED] under the influence of an SCP-████ manifestation.

At this point, outbreaks of previously contained cognitohazardous SCPs began to accelerate and [SCP-3519|new phenomena] began to present themselves worldwide due to widespread exposure to SCP-XXXX and its secondary effect was surmised. An internal review was conducted of all Foundation researchers and D-Class personnel and its IT infrastructure resulting in [DATA EXPUNGED]. Additional resources and a sweeping mandate were given to countermemetics and anomalous IT task forces to suppress SCP-XXXX activity. This led to the creation of the SN-XXXX Recursive Network Crawler and TH-XXXX Universal Device Worm, which caused SCP-XXXX activity to plummet to nearly 0.001% of its peak level.

Following this, EM and sonic emissions began emanating from SCP-XXXX-B causing additional outbreaks. The effect was limited by the physical properties of these phenomena and additional containment measures were put in place onsite and online. SCP-XXXX activity again fell below 1% of original peak levels.

SCP-XXXX began to manifest anomalously on ██████ branded devices and spread rapidly within ██████ software. ██████ devices were immediately banned from Foundation facilities as a precaution, although prior hardening of the Foundation IT infrastructure against SCP-XXXX proved effective— a credit to the work of MTF Rho-9. High adoption rates of ██████ ’s software and services accelerated public exposure resulting in an additional spike in violent crime targeting children worldwide. Additional containment measures were enacted, and Foundation plants and surveillance measures inside ██████ were activated.

Subsequent investigation found that research into anomalous [DATA REDACTED] within ██████ Inc. [DATA REDACTED] events at SCP-XXXX-B [DATA REDACTED] Persons involved were given the choice to [SCP 2140| join Foundation research teams] or be given targeted amnestics. Further containment measures were put into place within ██████ Inc data infrastructure.

Addendum SCP-XXXX-1: Due to the primary effects of SCP-XXXX-A alone, global population reaching adulthood is expected to decline by approximately █% over the next two decades.

Addendum SCP-XXXX-2: Due to exposure to SCP-XXXX-A secondary effect, exposure to anomalous cognitohazards is expected to rise ██% over the next two decades. Foundation five-year-plans for staffing in cognitohazard research and containment have been adjusted accordingly.

Addendum SCP-XXXX-3: To date, Turing-capable Artificial Intelligences have been found to be immune to SCP-XXXX. It is unclear whether such entities, if ever developed by ██████ Inc, will be anomalously susceptible to SCP-XXXX or able to spread it to others. Debate is ongoing as to whether to use Foundation influence to halt ██████ research into generalized AI entirely.

Possible titles: “Don’t Be Evil”, “MIDS”