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In most jurisdictions where mechanical augmentations are widely used, brain shelving has become a legally sanctioned practice to manage the consequences of repossession when individuals default on their augmetic loans. Since repossession of crucial augmetics, such as limbs or vital organs, would be crippling or fatal, the law mandates that individuals must be offered the option of brain shelving to pay off their debts.
Mandatory Option: When augmetics are repossessed, the Brain Shelving Act (or its equivalent) in many jurisdictions requires that debtors be offered the option of brain shelving instead of facing physical incapacitation or death. This ensures that, even after repossession, the individual has a means to work off their debts through shelved computational labor.
Legal Shelving Duration: Most regions impose legal limits on the length of time a brain can be shelved, with debt repayment typically structured to ensure that the individual is not shelved indefinitely. However, due to interest rates and fees, some individuals find themselves shelved for years or even decades before they can pay off their debts and afford new augmetics or a body reintegration.
Ethical Concerns: While brain shelving is legally regulated, it remains a subject of ethical controversy. Many argue that the practice constitutes a form of modern slavery, where individuals are reduced to tools for corporate profit. Legal battles over the rights of shelved individuals—such as their right to consciousness, fair wages, or humane treatment—continue to be a major point of contention.
Repossession Protocols: In most jurisdictions, repo crews must offer brain shelving before conducting a repossession. In cases where this protocol is violated, companies may face legal penalties, although enforcement of these regulations can be inconsistent, especially in corporate-controlled territories like Pluto or industrial sectors of Terra.