Samizdat

Samizdat is an underground satirical publication published in the that reports on local and world affairs. Its newspapers appear as readables in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Samizdat aims to uncover real facts, and positions itself as a well-informed counterpoint to the "stream of misinformation and untruths" spread by the Picus media, such as Picus TV and The Picus Daily Standard. As such, Samizdat is somewhat similar to the pirate radio host and conspiracy theorist Lazarus.

Samizdat has a small team of journalists who stay anonymous to avoid confrontations with the authorities. The journalists work with a network of undisclosed informants, found locally and around the world, to both inform the public and open its eyes to the truth. The journalists go by the names K (the editor) and Little k (lead journalist), but never use their real names. Another member of the team in 2029 is Bones.

Publications on AugAware.org
During the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided marketing campaign, the anti-aug site AugAware.org was "hacked" by the Augmented Rights Coalition, after which the site featured several Samizdat articles:
 * Panchaea: at the bottom of the deep blue secrecy
 * The Human Restoration Act: A Problem For All
 * Palisade: Centralizing Secrets

Newspapers in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Below are the transcripts of Samizdat newspapers that appear in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

Resolution 3507: A Problem for All
LITTLEK

TOP STORY

If you're augmented, you must be aware that the United Nations are sleeping peacefully at night beneath the cover of their olive branch with dreams of stripping you of your rights and dignity.

''The U.N.'s Resolution 3507 is an obscene moral betrayal. Rucker's ARC are rightfully attacking the insidiously labelled "Human Restoration Act" for going against the very things the United Nations supposedly stand for. Without a control chip inserted for good behavior and official papers congratulating you on your loss of rights, resistant Augs will be promptly herded into more suitable accommodation courtesy of their local law enforcement. Welcome to Golem, citizen!''

''But what if you're "all natural" 100% prime society steak? It doesn't affect you, does it?''

Consider this: thirteen "elected" individuals have ruled out that over 7 million human beings must give up their livelihoods without appeal to be licensed and monitored as if criminals, and I'm guessing you weren't asked for your opinion.

''Augmented or not, who will the next inscrutable world power summarily judge as "problematic"? Resolution 3507 puts the world on notice that organizations like the U.N. feel they can do what they wish.''

''It's time to tell them otherwise or become the next pariah en vogue. We have been warned.''

Panchaea: At the Bottom of the Deep Blue Secrecy
LITTLEK

TOP STORY

''In 2026, Panchaea was humanity's titanic plan to save the world, a 1.5 kilometer deep installation plunging to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. Built by a 100% augmented workforce, it was our hopeful answer to climate change.''

Until it mysteriously blew up on the day the Augs went crazy.

''Two years after the Incident, it remains conveniently unclear what happened at Panchaea. Amidst conflicting reports of human remains, corporate sabotage, and radioactive salvage, we wait for the official truth – engineering failure or another augmented horror story? More and more, Panchaea feels like a trillion-dollar hole in which to hide a trillion-dollar secret.''

Palisase: Centralizing Secrets
LITTLEK TOP STORY

''Samizdat is all about truth and information. Which is why we consider the greatest thing to happen in Prague un the last 15 years to also be the worst. The creation of the Palisade Bank in 2017 created a welcome surge in the economy and put Prague back on the map, improving everyone's quality of life.''

''Or did it? Since then, thousands of companies and their powerful owners have hidden behind those treacherous walls, allowing many to conveniently sidestep normal regulation or transparency in their business practices.''

''And it's not the corporations who apparently pay the highest price for such secrecy. When a Palisade employee recently attempted to steal sensitive data, the aspiring thief was efficiently "terminated" by the bank's alarmingly lethal security systems. Proud parents of the Palisade, Talwar and Oshiro, presented this an an unfortunate but reassuring example of why their clients can consider their private data safe.''

Whether true or just another corporate cover up, the fact that a human employee was in a position to compromise the world's most secure databank must worry those with invested interests.

''For now, one thing's particularly clear. If you decide to keep your secrets inside the Palisade bank, don't forget your password.''

Eliza Cassan: Who is the Real Face of Picus?
LITTLEK TOP STORY

Everybody knows Eliza Cassan, making bad news look good for years.

The mouthpiece of those moguls of misinformation at Picus is a valuable commodity to the world's biggest media circus and one of the most famous people on the planet.

''So it seems strange that we know so little about her off-camera. After the Aug Incident, Cassan suffered a mysterious breakdown and disappeared from public view so abruptly that it even led to speculation of her death.''

''She later returned with no official statement but something;s felt off since then. Did she die in 2027? Is Picus' popular puppet merely a coached lookalike?''

Maybe we don't know Eliza like we thought we did.

Picus / Neon
This issue will only appear if you complete the side mission Samizdat by agreeing to help Samizdat expose the Picus Group. During the mission, you have to find the evidence on what really caused Flight 451 to crash, rather than just the water contamination report.

Flight 451: Picus vs the Truth
LITTLEK

TOP STORY

''Did you hear the news telling us that Augs are to blame for everything? It's hard to miss.''

''This week saw another concerning revelation from those stalwart paragons of truth over at Picus. They claim that the recent tragedy involving Cista Airlines Flight 451 was, in fact, the action of an unstable augmented individual who wrestled control of the aircraft, causing it to crash and kill all on board.''

''Well here's a revelation of our own. Picus are disingenuous liars and need to be shut down. Hard evidence in our possession clearly shows Picus covering up the truth once again. After undertaking a forced detour to avoid unseasonal storm activity in the region, Flight 451 was ultimately downed by catastrophic instrument failure due to "extreme interferences in the ionosphere". The source of that extreme interference? An undisclosed military facility conducting experiments in the area.''

''The two hundred and fifty one souls who perished that day deserve the truth as do we all. What is this secret military base doing up there with the ionosphere anyway? A pertinent question.''

''Picus, however, care more about making you look the other way. Think about that next time Eliza Cassan is telling you what you should worry about.''

Neon: Recreation or Death Sentence?
LITTLEK

TOP STORY

Samizdat gained recent access to confidential police data for the latest recreational drug, Neon, and discovered several alarming details the authorities have apparently been too busy to share.

Of a surprisingly high count of 28 Neon deaths in Prague so far, 26 were augmented individuals.

''After the events of 2027, rumors surfaced that some Augs were drugged en masse to induce their murderous mindset as part of a plan to depopulate numbers. Feel familiar? With Prague's current politics on augmentation, how might one explain the arrival of Neon and its 93 percent augmented mortality rate?''

It's starting to feel a lot like 2027 all over again.

Rabi'ah / Control Chip
This issue can be found in the Golem City, in Dr. Martine Onziema's housing unit.

Rabi'ah: A Brown New World
LITTLEK

TOP STORY

''In a recent interview, Nathaniel Brown described Rabi'ah as a haven for Augs, further revealing that the "self-sufficient" city in the desert is costing over 7 million dollars per day to build. Santeau's CEO seemed unperturbed.''

''"It's not just [the money] that keeps me doing what I do," a honeyed Brown opined to camera. "Rabi'ah is giving augmented people all over the world an opportunity to rebuild their lives and dignity. It's a win-win scenario for everyone and I'm proud to be involved."''

''Inspiring, isn't it? In other news, Brown will attempt to walk on Santeau-branded water before turning it into wine and toasting his investors.''

''The idea of Brown being hailed as some kind of business saint is repugnant. Reports out of Rabi'ah paint a picture of indentured Aug workers ransomed to pittance salaries with promises of a place in paradise. Trouble is, the only people getting tickets are those willing to buy them with Santeau's money.''

''The projected capacity of Santeauland -- sorry, Rabi'ah -- is 101,500. There are 7.1 million augmented survivors since the tragic incident. By my reckoning, that's roughly one for every daily dollar spent building a paradise most can't afford. Will Brown make them pay to dig their own graves next?''

Tai Yong Medical: A Chip off the Old Block
LITTLEK

TOP STORY

''Worry not, dear Augs, for the chip the U.N. demands you swallow or be damned, apparently "unobtrusively supports intrinsic nervous control of installed augmentation". What's more, you will now be considered safe against "involuntary aberrations in expected behaviour". Excellent.''

''This alarmingly dystopian lingo is borrowed directly from documentation written by Tai Yong Medical, the chip's manufacturer. The tech giant is no stranger to this kind of controversy, either. Wasn't it TYM that supplied a quick fix biochip to repair malfunctioning augmentations back in 2026, only days before the Incident occurred?''

Now, barely a year later, here's another'' quick-fix chip from the very same experts? No aberrations in expected behaviour from TYM, either.''

Trivia

 * The term  (Russian: самиздат, "self-published") refers to a dissident activity in the former USSR and the communist countries of eastern Europe, when the literature banned by the state was reproduced clandestinely and passed from reader to reader.
 * If you choose to help Samizdat by completing both Samizdat and K is for Každý, they will flee to Paris. Picus reports that since Samizdat left Prague, a new underground publication emerges in Paris using the name "Silhouette". Silhouette is a resistance group based in Paris during the events of Deus Ex and likely originated from Samizdat.